


Insomnia

by Loonatea



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: Action, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, spider-man au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-05-12 13:19:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19229932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loonatea/pseuds/Loonatea
Summary: The fact that she cannot sleep is a testament to the obvious: she hasn’t truly let go yet. She knows she should and yet, she can’t. Chaewon thinks that she would never be able to fully let go, not as long as she can still protect the one person that really matters to her.2kim Spiderman AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ElleKing27](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleKing27/gifts).



> Got into the 2Kimdom thanks to ElleKing27/cheeseyisthyname's fics and twitter AUs. Definitely check those out!

Chaewon lies awake in the middle of the night. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, unable to be resolved and unable to let her sleep peacefully.

 

As the moonlight spills through the window, painting her bedroom a dreamy blue, Chaewon wonders when and where did everything go wrong. In one instant, her life had taken a tumble, destroying everything she cared about.

 

She turns over to gaze out the window near her bed. The city lights were blinking brightly as always. The world was moving forward, regardless of who it would leave behind. And once upon a time, Chaewon would have been scared of being left behind but now, now she welcomes the solace of being left behind. The things that matter to her, her family, friends, purpose, are no longer within her reach. Her emotions are becoming increasingly numb as the days pass.

 

Even though she is feeling this way, the fact that she cannot sleep is a testament to the obvious: she hasn’t truly let go yet. She knows she should and yet, she can’t. Chaewon thinks that she would never be able to fully let go, not as long as she can still see the one person that really matters to her.

 

Her thoughts are becoming too loud. So she decides to get up and go for a nighttime stroll.

 

\--

 

Swinging through the city in her white and mint suit, Chaewon keeps an eye out for suspicious activity. It’s been a long time since she has gone out in the middle of the night with the intention of doing some crime watching. She hasn’t done so since _that_ time. Too much has changed in her to continue her unofficial job as a city vigilante/ hero.

 

Shooting out a web higher to land on the roof of an apartment building, Chaewon lands with a soft thud. She checks her surroundings to make sure that no one is around before leaning her arms on the edge of the rooftop. Across from where she stood, she could see a window with the curtain half open. A girl is sleeping on the bed peacefully.

 

_Minjoo._

 

The one person she wants to see badly. But she is too cowardly to do so during normal hours of the day. All she can do now is watch over her as she sleeps, hoping that the younger girl is not plagued with nightmares.

 

\--

 

Chaewon drags her tired body to school. She decided to take the bus today since she was too tired to focus driving her motorcycle. She takes a seat by the window in the back, plugging in her earbuds to drown out the sounds.

 

The bus makes a stop and a group of friends get on, making a ruckus as they do so. Chaewon ignores them in favor of looking out the window but she can see them looking at from the corner of her eye. They seem surprised to see her there but avoid sitting near her.

 

They whisper amongst themselves, glancing back at her every few seconds. Chaewon feels herself getting a little irritated at their glancing and is about to tell them off when she makes eye contact with one of them.

 

Chaewon could recognize those brown eyes anywhere. She should, after all, they haunt her dreams and her every waking moment. Both freeze up at the sudden eye contact. Chaewon could see the younger girl swallowing her saliva in nervousness. It was then that Chaewon noticed the group of girls looking at her too. They are Minjoo’s friends (and hers too, before she broke away.). Chaewon curses at herself for forgetting that they take the bus to school every morning too. So much for avoiding them.

 

Neither said anything or broke the eye contact for a few seconds. A jolt from the bus snaps Chaewon out of it and she moves to get off the bus at the next stop, ignoring the fact that the school is still a few miles away.

 

The moment her feet step on to the pavement, she runs back into the direction that she came from before getting on the bus. Panic rising in her system, she doesn’t make it very far before collapsing against a brick wall in some random alley way.

 

Gasping for air, she tries to quell the panic welling in her throat. Tears begin to well up at the thought of looking into Minjoo’s eyes. Chaewon knows she can’t--isn’t allowed to hope for anything more to do with the younger girl. Minjoo has every right to hate her. In fact, Chaewon hopes she does. It would make letting go easier.  

 

“Come on. Now really isn’t the time for this Kim Chaewon. Calm down. You can do this….you can….” Chaewon whispers to herself. Somehow, she is able to calm herself down to a more rational level. Her heart is still beating fast but her breathing has stabilized somewhat. Sitting still for a few more moments, Chaewon opens her eyes and gets the shock of her life. Another pair of concerned eyes bore into hers.

 

“Oh shit! You scared me! How long have you been standing there?” Chaewon says with her hand over her heart. The other girl lets out a soft sorry but doesn’t move from her position. Twice in one day, Chaewon finds herself staring into another pair of familiar eyes. Kwon Eunbi stands over her with a half concerned, half stern expression on her face.

 

“Long enough to see you in pain, Kim Chaewon. Where have you been?” It’s a loaded question that Chaewon doesn’t know how to answer. So she doesn’t.

 

“The others have been looking for you, you know? Ever since the funerals-”

 

“Enough!” Chaewon’s outburst stops the questioning. She hasn’t gotten any decent sleep and ran into Minjoo today. She definitely does not want to go down this particular line of questioning right now. She stands and grabs her backpack off the ground and continues her way back to her apartment. Eunbi can only watch helplessly as one of her (use to be) close friends walk away. The younger girl looked like she wasn’t eating and sleeping enough. It’s been months since Chaewon started to pull away and somehow, she managed to make herself scarce and untraceable.

 

Eunbi makes a decision to call her friends and inform them of what she saw today. Chaewon was clearly in pain and going through some hard times. As the oldest among their friend group, it was her duty to make sure that all of them would be okay.

 

\--

 

Hyewon, Sakura, Yena, Yuri, and Minjoo gather at the Kwon-family owned cafe, Celeb Cafe, under the order of Eunbi.

 

They settle down in the corner of the cafe, receiving their drinks and cakes from Eunbi. “So kids, I saw Chaewon today.” She starts without preamble.  

 

“Ooh, we did too!” Yena says with her mouth full. Bits of cake frosting were stuck on her mouth from her messy eating habits. Next to her, Yuri sighs and grabs a napkin to clean the overgrown kid.

 

“Calm down Duck. And don’t talk with your mouth full.” Yena pouted her lips like her nickname but gives Yuri a kiss on the cheek after her mouth is cleaned up.

 

“Anyways, Chaewon was here. At seven in the morning. She looked like she was going to school but then went the other way.” Eunbi says as she scratches the top of her head.

 

“Well, we saw her on the bus this morning but she got off after noticing us and went the other way. Maybe that’s when you ran into her unnie.” Minjoo says. She can’t forget the way that Chaewon looked at her. The red-haired girl didn’t seem too well when they made eye contact. Her eyes were full of many things but the most prominent one was fear. And it broke Minjoo’s heart to see the usually strong girl look like that.

 

“Is that all you called us here for?” Hyewon says, disinterested in the conversation. Her cake was finished and all she wanted was to go home and cuddle with Sakura. She was tired of trying to get through to her cousin.

 

“No. Listen guys,” Eunbi has a grave expression on her face and that causes everyone to stop what they are doing to give the oldest their attention. “Chaewon… she was...I think she had a slight panic attack when she passed through here.”

 

Everyone’s eyes widen at that piece of information. Even Hyewon stopped feigning indifference and was genuinely shocked. Minjoo is especially shaken. Her mind begins to race. _Damn it! I knew I should not have allowed her to pull away! I knew she was having a hard time but I...I did nothing. I was too focused on myself…_

 

“We...I want to do something to help her.” Eunbi says resolutely. “I let her do as she pleased because I wanted to give her some space and let her heal but, I don’t think she is healing properly.”

 

Minjoo is relieved to hear this because she was thinking of taking action ever since she saw the older on the bus this morning. Thankfully, the other girls were quick to agree. They decided that they would do whatever it takes to help Chaewon. And even if Chaewon would try to push them away, they would, in Yena’s words, “stick to her like an undying leech” until she lets them back in.

 

\--

 

Chaewon has taken to patrolling the city at night when the nightmares get too real. They have been increasing in frequency since her run-in with her old friends. They have been behaving strangely since that morning on the bus. Whenever one of them would see her, they would catch up to her and strike up a random conversation. Uncomfortable, Chaewon would duck her head and make a run for it, regardless of how rude it was. Despite this, they kept trying again and again.

 

Minjoo was especially adamant. She would leave lunch boxes on Chaewon’s desk because she’s seen the older girl eating convenience store bought food. Chaewon always return the lunch boxes onto Minjoo’s desk, not wanting to accept them for if she did, it would give her hope of reconciling with Minjoo.

 

(She can’t. She knows isn’t allowed to.)

 

However, that doesn’t stop Minjoo from filling up Chaewon’s thoughts. Hell, her old friends have been occupying her thoughts lately. Chaewon considers skipping school to avoid them but she decides against it, knowing it would make her late parents unhappy if she didn't finish school.

 

Suddenly, she hears a strange sound coming from the docks. As she moves closer to the sound, she sees some suspicious men entering an abandoned warehouse. The scraping sound stops for a moment and then resumes. It grates on her ears like nails on a chalkboard.

 

She stealthily shoots a web out to the edge of the roof and swings herself on top. Hanging upside down from her perch, the tiny window to the warehouse is high enough to prevent her from being detected. She presses a button on her suit to turn the settings to camouflage mode. The suit turns into the shade of its surrounding colors.

 

Inside, men are loading up ammunition and weapons into shipping containers. Looking closely, Chaewon can see things like RPGs and rifles. This clearly isn’t good news. Dangerous weapons were being loaded dead into the night with shady looking people? Yep, definitely fishy.

 

Chaewon swings to another window to get another angle on what they are doing. While she is at it, she presses the signal on her watch to alert the police. In her new perspective, Chaewon notes the giant map plastered on the back wall of the warehouse. Pins and strings are interconnected, likely pointing out the location those shipping containers are suppose to be. Chaewon snaps a picture with the camera hidden in her mask. She notes that the last pin is located in Busan. Specifically in the port that is not used often for shipments due to the small size of the harbor.

 

Then, like a lightning strike, the symbol plastered to the side of the shipping container knocks the wind out of Chaewon. It was a strange alien-like monster, its fearsome visage was painted in black and red. Chaewon knew this symbol very well. After all, it was the very same symbol that destroyed her life.

 

_Carnage._

 

\---

 

“ _Yesterday, authorities captured a group of men attempting to transport a shipment of illegal weapons and ammunition. According to reports and eyewitnesses, a person with webbing abilities engaged the men before police made it on the scene. That person was wearing the white and mint suit that the local vigilante, Spider-woman, is known to wear. Is this person Spider-woman? If so, why has she decided to reappear after being absent from the crime-fighting scene for so long? Stay tuned to find out.”_

 

The television was playing inside of the Celeb cafe where the group of friends have gathered. The news has been playing the same story over and over due to the fact that Spider-woman has reappeared after being absent for so long. The entire city was in a buzz, happy but also curious as to the circumstances surrounding the vigilante.

 

“Wonder why she decided to come back.” Hyewon comments off-handedly. The cake in front of her was too delicious to ignore for some news broadcast.

 

“Glad she is though. Illegal weapons in our city? That sounds scary to me.” Yuri says. Yena bobs her head quickly in agreement.

 

“Yeah! But don’t worry Yuri! I’ll protect you!” Yena pinches her bicep to make it seem like she has exaggerated muscles. Yuri laughs at the silliness and slaps the duck on her arm.

 

From across the table, Minjoo laughs quietly at her friends. However, regarding the news of the vigilante, Minjoo has mixed feelings. Sure, it was great to have someone watching over the city. In fact, the crime rate has gone down since Spider-woman has appeared 3 years ago.

 

But Minjoo can’t forget the incident involving her parents. They were kidnapped by an organization named Carnage and put up for ransom. The police tried to negotiate with the organization to let the hostages go but they failed to get any real results. Then, Spider-woman appeared and rescued them. But then an explosion went off in the building they were held in and some people died, including Minjoo’s parents. Rationally, she knows that she cannot expect Spider-woman to save everyone. She is only one person. But another part of her resents Spider-woman for not leaving it to the authorities and getting people killed. Rumor has it that the terrorists were provoked by Spider-woman and that caused them to blow up the building.

 

Even her once close friend, Chaewon, lost her parents in that very same incident…

 

Speaking (or thinking) of Chaewon, the girl is standing right outside of the cafe, looking through the glass to watch the news on the television. She hasn’t noticed the group of friends sitting by the back table. Minjoo wants to greet the older girl and bring her into the cafe but stops at the look in her eyes. It was a mix of seriousness and anger and sadness. Her body is rigid, her fists are closed tightly. And Minjoo wishes she could do something to help her.

 

“What are you looking at Minjoo?” Hyewon questions when she notices that Minjoo has gone quiet. The others turn to look at what Minjoo is looking at and are surprised to see Chaewon standing outside the cafe. As if sensing their attention, Chaewon, turns away and walks away from the cafe.

 

( Minjoo hates how the backside of Chaewon is becoming the norm. If she’s being honest, she hates herself for letting it get this far.)

 

\--

 

It’s one month until December, until midterms before school lets out for the winter break. The teachers have decided to assign study partners in preparation of the midterms. Students are bustling about to pick their partners. Naturally, Hyewon and Sakura, Yuri and Yena pair up, leaving Minjoo to pick her partner among the other students. She looks around, hoping to see Chaewon, but to her disappointment, Chaewon did not attend school today.

 

The group has been trying their best to get through to Chaewon but their efforts have mostly been in vain. Chaewon can really make herself scarce when she is trying to hide from them.

 

Then, a tall girl approaches Minjoo’s desk. Minjoo is surprised to see Ahn Yujin, the star basketball player looking shy and nervous.

 

“Uhm… if you don’t have a partner yet, would you like to study with me?” Minjoo’s eyes widen at the invitation. Ahn Yujin was one of the most popular kids in school and she wants to pair up with a plain (but pretty) girl like Minjoo? In her mini-panic, Minjoo darts her eyes around to look at her friends, who shrug at her predicament.

 

 _Wow, they really just left me to the sharks, though Yujin really isn’t a scary shark_ , Minjoo thinks.

 

The door to the classroom opens and Chaewon walks in, handing the teacher her late note. Seeing her opportunity, Minjoo stands up and walks over to Chaewon.

 

“Sorry Yujin, I’m already paired up with Chaewon.” Minjoo places a hand on the older girl’s arm as she says this. Chaewon, not understanding what is going on, looks like a deer caught in the headlights. Yujin deflates at this and trudges back to her desk. Before Chaewon could react, Minjoo jolts both of their names down on the sign sheet.

 

“Alright class, back to your seats. I will assign anyone who doesn’t have a partner yet.” The class settles down to listen to the instructions. “I will be handing out study packets that you must complete with your partners. I want everyone to contribute to the assignment, do not have one person in the pair do all of it! I will be checking for handwriting! And remember, this is for your benefit to help you prepare for the midterms.”

 

\--

 

Somehow, Minjoo manages to convince Chaewon to study at the cafe. Her friends are also there too but at a different table as to not overwhelm Chaewon. Minjoo catches Yena giving her a thumbs up and a goofy smile. Minjoo can only duck her head in embarrasment. The girl sitting across from her does not notice, as she is extremely tense right now.

 

Her entire posture just screams ‘I want to get out of here!’ and Minjoo feels slightly guilty for doing this against her will. But only slightly, as this is finally her chance to set things right between them.

 

“Chae, are you alright?” At the familiar nickname, Chaewon shoots her head up and looks into those comforting brown eyes. She nods her head jerkily and avoids Minjoo’s eyes again.

 

“Listen, if this is too much for you, we can postpone this for another day.” Minjoo says softly, not wanting to scare off Chaewon.

 

“N-no. It’s fine. Let’s just finish this today.” Chaewon is quick to pull out her pencil and the packet to work on in silence. Minjoo sighs from across the table and proceeds to work on her own packet. It was obvious that Chaewon didn't want to be here and didn’t want to speak anymore.

 

 _Or maybe she doesn’t want to be near you_ , a voice in Minjoo’s head tells her. Minjoo shakes her head to get rid of those thoughts.

 

Chaewon was working through those problems at the speed of light. Minjoo even thinks that the entire packet, which was meant for the month, was going to be finished in 15 minutes. She always knew that Chaewon was a smart student, but this was another level. Even the material that she was sure Chaewon missed from being absent during _that_ time was easily solved.

 

Eunbi walks over to their table to ask if they want anything to eat or drink. Before Minjoo could say anything, Chaewon shoots up from her seat and pushes the packet towards Minjoo.

 

Without making eye contact with anyone Chaewon whispers out an apology and runs out the door. This time, none of them fail to notice the shaking hands and the sheen of sweat on her face as she runs away.

 

“Not this time...” Minjoo gives chase to the older girl. She won’t sit by and watch Chaewon suffer alone any longer. The red-haired girl noticed Minjoo following her so she turned the corner into an alleyway and shot out a web to hide on a roof of a small building.

 

She watched from above as the younger girl looks around for her. Her heart breaks a little when she sees Minjoo deflate and wipe at the tears on her face. Minjoo looks so defeated that Chaewon was tempted to jump down the building and hug her. But her shaking hands and her loud thoughts make her think twice about doing so.

 

_Don’t cry._

 

Chaewon badly wants to comfort her but she knows this is for the best. Carnage is still a threat and she would do anything to keep Minjoo out of harm’s way.

 

 


	2. It Begins

It’s chaos in the morning at Violeta High. Police officers barricaded the front gate of the school to prevent reporters, students, and parents from entering. Helicopters are flying overhead with cameras to record the school. TVs are playing the live footage taken of the school. SWAT members are pointing their shields towards the main entrance of the school. 

 

“The school is on lockdown! Leave the area immediately!” Police officers tried to persuade the crowd to leave in case it got dangerous. But the parents were hysterical. Their children were trapped inside the school. Many are begging the officers to do something to save their children. But the officers were in a stalemate.

 

“Violeta High is being overtaken by terrorists who have identified themselves as Carnage. They are believed to be armed with bombs and weapons. Police are attempting to negotiate for the release of the students and teachers.” A news reporter announced. “The organization has demanded for the release of Ahn Hyoseob, a notorious serial killer believed to be the leader of Carnage before his capture. They have also demanded 1 million dollars for every hostage. Stay tuned to further developments.”

 

The demands were obviously outrageous to the government. But they had to act to save the hostages. An armed truck arrived at the scene. A smartly dressed man stepped out of the vehicle with several armed men flanking his sides. He flashes his badge and is let through to the front lines. A laser is pointed directly at his forehead.

 

“Do not come any closer or we will shoot!” the shooter on the roof said. The man in the suit raises both of his hands in the air calmly. “Gentlemen, I am here to hear your demands. I am Jang Jongho, department head of the Blue House Intelligence Agency.”

 

“Ah, the bastard who put away Master Hyoseob. Release him and give us our money! Or we’ll kill you and everyone in this goddamn school!”

 

“Now now, let’s not be hasty. I am the only one with high enough clearance to authorize the release of Ahn Hyoseob. Even the president cannot without my explicit approval. If you kill me, he dies with me. Put the gun away.” Jongho said coldly. Jongho met the eyes of the sniper straight through the scope he was aiming through. The laser pointed at his forehead wavered.

 

“Hold your ground! He’s lying!” One of the men drags a female teacher out onto the rooftop to stand next to the sniper. “Bastards like that always have fucking tricks up their sleeves.” The teacher has a handgun pressed harshly against her temple. She trembles and tears up in fear for her life. One of the cameras on the helicopter zooms in on her face for everyone to see on the live broadcast.

 

“Oh? Are you telling me that you are willing to gamble on the chance that I may or may not be telling the truth?” Jongho raises a haughty eyebrow.

 

“I’ll blow her head off and everyone here if you don’t meet our demands!” The terrorist screams crazily. He pressed the gun even harder against the teacher’s head. She screams and cries even harder. Jongho lifts the briefcase on the ground next to him and opens it for the terrorists to see. Loads of money are lined up in the case.

 

“The money is here. Let them go.”

 

“We said we wanted the money AND our master to be released! If you want to be such a smartass, here’s what you get!” Without warning, the man pulls the trigger and pushes the woman off the rooftop. She lands in a bloody heap, blood pouring out from the side of her head where the bullet entered. The crowd grows quiet, the reporters are stunned at the display of cruelty. Paramedics attempt to come close to treat her but shots are fired by the ground, preventing them from getting closer. The woman is clearly dead and the terrorists wanted the world to see the grotesque scene, to show how serious they are and how much power they have. “The next one will be a student. Don’t mess with us and give us our master back.”

 

Jongho has an emotionless look in his eyes as he stared dead on at the dead body. The only indication of what he was feeling was a balled up fist. After a few more seconds, he turns his head up to look at the girl they dragged out next. As the terrorist had said, it was indeed a student and she struggled in the man’s grip. “Let me go!”

 

Jongho knew that if this kept going, the girl and the hostages would be killed. But he could not authorize the release of Ahn Hyoseob. At least not by himself. The president must also give his approval but Jongho already received the explicit order to not allow Carnage’s leader to escape. He had hoped his bluff and case of money would buy some time for the SWAT team to figure out a way to neutralize them. He even came all this way to show his face, which is known for the capture of Ahn Hyoseob. Unfortunately, he underestimated their intelligence and now a life has been lost.

 

Suddenly, the men on the roof begin to shoot wildly into the open air. Even the laser pointer on Jongho’s chest disappeared. The girl escapes the terrorist’s clutches and runs out of harm’s way. The terrorists begin to move around like they taking hits from someone. Except that they don’t appear to be fighting a visible person. Both are disarmed in a matter of seconds and on the ground with webs binding their bodies. Jongho could not spot the person responsible for this but he could make out a vague blob moving across the rooftop. Before he could dwell on it, the windows on the front of the school building open all at once like a well-timed orchestra, and terrorists are slung out of the building to hang outside, also bound in webbing. 

 

Students and teachers come rushing out of the building to get behind the SWAT members. Seeing the opportunity, Jongho orders the men to seize the neutralized terrorists.

 

It was clear who was responsible for this based on the webbing. Jongho himself personally wasn’t a fan of the vigliante, as he believed in the law enforcement team, but even he was thankful for the sudden rescue. The officers and paramedics gather around the now released hostages to check on their condition. Seeing the girl that was on the roof just now huddled up in a blanket, Jongho approaches her carefully. 

 

“Wonyoung. Are you injured?” He asks quietly. The girl snaps her head up with tears in her eyes. She shakes her head no in response to his question. “Uncle, m-mom is...” She bursts into tears, unable to finish her sentence. 

 

The old man plops down heavily next to her and lets out a tired sigh. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save her, kid.” He places a hand on her head as she sobs her heart out. What else could he say to his niece besides sorry? He had failed today and that cost him dearly. It had taken the life of his niece’s only parent.

 

“Come on. I’ll have a paramedic take a look at you and get you to a safer place. I don’t want these reporters in your face right now.” He gently urges her to stand up and leads her to an armored truck. Giving orders to the men to finish the clean-up, Jongho enters the vehicle and leaves the scene.  

 

\--

 

The school was closed indefinitely until investigations are completed and all of the dangerous weapons are cleared out. Midterms were postponed. Exams were the last thing on everyone’s mind when they had just lost a precious teacher. Her funeral procession took place the day after the shooting. Her body was cleaned up and placed inside a coffin. Many people who knew her attended, placing flowers at her altar. They were all very sorrowful but they knew that the pain her daughter, Wonyoung, must have been feeling was far greater than their own. 

 

The last flower was placed in Teacher Jang’s folded hands by Wonyoung. She gazed at her mother’s pale face.  _ At least she looks peaceful _ , Wonyoung thought,  _ unlike the way she was killed _ . The government was quick to censor that particular scene but it was too late. It circulated online and Wonyoung desperately avoided looking at those pictures. Her uncle did his best to prevent her from being crowded by reporters but even now, they were swarming outside of the funeral home, disturbing the dead from their peaceful sleep. 

 

Her mother’s coffin was carried outside by the grave diggers and only a select few were allowed to see the final burial. Minjoo and her friends were among the few. The most surprising person that was there was Chaewon. But Wonyoung knew that her mother had favored Chaewon as a student for her stellar intelligence. She even saw her at her house a few times when her mom invited the older girl over for dinner. Wonyoung was often nervous around the older student but Chaewon had showed her nothing but kindness and so they became closer. The redhead was like an older sister that Wonyoung wished she had.

 

Dirt filled the hole where her mother was resting. Wonyoung thought that she had run out of tears within the last two days but seeing the coffin being completely buried broke something inside of her and fresh tears came out. Chaewon stepped forward from the group that stayed behind a respectable distance. Minjoo and her friends were surprised. In all of the time they had been estranged from Chaewon, they have never seen her interact with any other student, let alone Jang Wonyoung. They watched as she gently held Wonyoung’s hand in hers.

 

“At least the weather is nice out. Teacher Jang would have hated it if it was raining.” Chaewon says. Wonyoung sniffles and lets out a small, genuine laugh. “Yeah, mom would’ve complained that it was too cliche like how it is in the movies.” 

 

“Thanks for coming here, unnie.” Wonyoung says randomly. Chaewon just thumps her head on Wonyoung’s arm and the younger lays her head on top of hers. “Yeah don’t mention it. I’m here for you if you need anything.” And Wonyoung believes her. A few months ago, Chaewon lost not one but both of her parents to the same terrorist organization. If there was anyone who understood Wonyoung’s grief best, it would be Chaewon. 

 

“Then, would you stay with me tonight? I’m too scared to be alone in my house.”

 

“Sure. I can bring my things over and stay a few days. It’ll be like a sleepover.” The two turn to leave the cemetery. Wonyoung stops to thank the visitors for coming, finally making her way over to Eunbi, Minjoo, Hyewon, Sakura, Yena, and Yuri, dragging Chaewon by the hand with her. 

 

“Bunny, if there is anything my family and I can do for you, let us know. Want me to come over and stay for a while? The cafe can operate without me for a few days.” Eunbi says, concern in her expression. Wonyoung just smiles weakly and waves her off, “No worries Eunbi unnie. Thank you though. Chaewon unnie is going to sleep over at my house.” Eunbi gives a slow nod and says nothing more, hesitating but also not wanting to antagonize Wonyoung any further. The younger’s eyes are rimmed red and Eunbi’s mother hen heart hurts to see her like this.

 

Chaewon makes eye contact with Minjoo but doesn’t look away. Maybe it was because of the tiring events of the past two days or maybe it was just Chaewon’s exhaustion coming to her, but she feels oddly calm in the presence of her old friends. She raises one eyebrow as if to ask, “Are you okay?”, and Minjoo nods slightly. It wasn’t much but Chaewon seemed to be relieved.

 

Wonyoung waves them goodbye and the duo make their way to Chaewon’s motorcycle. 

Soon enough, the two drive off.

 

\--

 

-Chaewon’s POV-

 

Guilt. That’s all I feel. I should have been able to stop Carnage. Now Wonyoung is without her mother. And it’s all my fault. Of all days where I chose not to get up for school, this happens. I was so caught up in drowning in my misery in my dingy apartment that I didn't even turn on the TV for the morning news. By the time I decided to, Teacher Jang was already being held at gunpoint. I wasn’t fast enough.

 

I sit up from the bed and feel Wonyoung shifting next to me, asleep. Well, at least one of us is getting the rest that they deserved. Wonyoung just wanted me to hug her to sleep and it only took 10 minutes before the kid was out like a light. 

 

Sighing, I snapped my smartwatch onto my wrist and made my way outside of the house. It was 3 AM and the moon was the only light source. The coast was clear so I pressed a button on the watch and it shot out tendrils at snaked around my body and transformed into my suit. 

 

I took a deep breath and ran towards the nearest tree, shooting out a web to make a swing. Soon enough I was miles away from a sleeping Wonyoung and in the heart of the city. I go all the way back to the warehouse that I busted a few weeks ago to see if there were any more clues on Carnage. How had they armed themselves so easily? That was my first thought. Weapons are under strict control of the South Korean government. Civilians aren’t even allowed to hold a weapons permit. So how did they sneak that shipment in the first place?

 

The warehouse was completely abandoned and I can’t say I wasn’t expecting that but I had to look for clues. Still, I enter the warehouse on the off chance that something might have been left behind. My footsteps echoed loudly in the empty space. I walk a full circle around the warehouse but see nothing. 

 

Walking back towards the center of the warehouse, I was about to give up but then I hear a strange sound coming from the spot I was standing on. I kneel down to rap my knuckles against the floor and sure enough, it subtly sounds different from the other areas I paced around. More specifically, it was more hollow. I searched for a switch of some sort to open the hollow floor but come up empty handed. The ground didn't even have an outline of the door. It was completely flush against the cement and if I wasn’t so sensitive to sound, I might have missed it. 

 

“Wonder if the police force discovered this when they investigated.” I say to myself. I pull out a small sticky bomb from my web shooter and debate on whether I should really set off a tiny explosion in the warehouse or find another way to open the ground. Just as I was about to just screw it and use the sticky bomb, the ground lifts itself and slides to the side with me on top of it. I quickly shoot a web to a dark corner of the ceiling and hide myself in the shadow of the corner. The screen on the inside of my mask indicates that the camouflage mode has been activated. 

 

Men with masks climb out of the hole, their clothes with Carnage’s insignia on it. The men walk out the warehouse and I see them climb onto a small boat. The trap door begins to close and I have an internal debate about what to do before deciding to jump into the hole. The men came through this hole so it must lead to somewhere, possibly their stronghold, if I am lucky. 

 

I landed on the ground with a soft thud, barely making it through before the hidden door closes above me. The tunnel beneath the ground is completely dark but thanks to the night vision installed in the mask, I am able to navigate through. It isn’t really hard though, considering the path only goes straight. I carefully step so that my footsteps make no sounds. I can hear water dripping from somewhere but there isn’t a disgusting smell usually associated with sewage so I dismissed the idea that this may be the sewers. I activated my homing beacon, hoping that the person on the other side receives it. To my disappointment, the signal is unable to be sent out. Complete radio silence, probably blocked off on purpose to avoid detection. 

 

The tunnel eventually leads to a dead end with a steel door attached to the wall. I take a few pictures of the door and try to scan for any traps that may pop out if I try to touch the door. 

 

Then, just like with the hidden floor door, this one shifts open and a scientist with a lab coat sticks his arm out to grab a few stray rocks on the ground. I take this opportunity to crawl inside the roof from the ceiling, keeping my camouflage active all the while.

 

The room is brightly lit and much larger than I thought. There were computer stations lined up against the wall on the left and a conveyor belt on the right side. The conveyor belt is set up in a large circle with laser-shooter looking things sitting on top of them. In the middle of the set up, the scientist scatters the rocks he got from outside on top of the center podium. I watch as he activates the laser and they obliterate the rocks out of existence. There was no smoke nor were there scorch marks on the podium. It took me a while to process what I saw but then I realized that the scientist scattered the rocks on purpose. The lasers just accurately hit their target and at the right intensity for each size of the rock for it to not leave a single scratch on the podium. This weapon was clearly dangerous and I had to do something.

 

The scientists behind him cheer for the success of the experiment. The control panel that the scientist used to activate the lasers ejected a chip the size of a smartphone, causing the lasers to power down. That’s it! The activation key must be in that chip. I have to get my hands on it and destroy it. 

 

I watch the scientist separate from the others watching to put the chip into the safe near the back end of the room. If I let him put it inside the safe, who knows when I would be able to crack the safe with all of these people here. I’ll just have to take it before he does. Seeing my chance I jump down from the ceiling and pull it out of his hands. 

 

A burst of light comes from the chip and a shock of electricity burns my hands, making me drop the chip. I clutch my shaking left hand in my right and back away from the fire that bursts from the chip. 

 

“Get her!” The scientist shouts. I glance at the reflective surface of the wall and see that I am completely exposed. The shock must have turned off all of my systems because the digital display inside the mask was flashing a warning sign at me. Guns cocked and were pointed straight at me, surrounding me in a semicircle. The wall was against my back and the odds were stacked against me.

  
  


_ Fuck.  _

 


	3. Growing (for the better or worse)

Minjoo is enjoying the nighttime breeze on her balcony. These past few days have been...uneasy to say the least. School is still shut down. Minjoo finished her homework and midterm study packet (without Chaewon, unfortunately.) and now she has too much free time. Under normal circumstances, she would be thrilled to have a long vacation from school but these aren’t normal circumstances. She considers seeing Wonyoung but isn’t sure if the younger would be happy to receive her. She’s not that close to the freshman but she was close to her mother. Teacher Jang was Minjoo’s favorite teacher as the woman was very kind to her when she saw her having a hard time with her parents’ passing and Chaewon’s ghosting. Carnage found yet another way to take someone away from her.

 

The downside to having too much free time is that these thoughts often take over her mind. Minjoo was never one for negativity but it was hard… especially since she lived alone. Her friends were supportive and always tried to be with her at all times of the day, but they had their own lives to live too. Yena insisted on moving in with her to lessen her loneliness but she declined, out of respect for Yuri and because she didn't want to burden Yena. Back when Minjoo was a freshman, she was so shy that she could hardly say anything to anyone, even when they were being mean to her. Minjoo didn't want to go back to being that helpless girl. It was her current friends and Chaewon that helped her gain her confidence today. 

 

( “Chin up, Minjoo. Don’t let it get to you. It’s because you’re too pretty that they all want to bother you.” Chaewon says, handing her a mint chocolate ice cream cone. Minjoo grimaces at the taste but eats it anyways. Her favorite unnie bought it for her, after all.)

 

Minjoo let out a deep sigh at the thought of Chaewon. Carnage hadn’t physically taken the older girl away but to Minjoo, they might as well have. Minjoo wonders if Chaewon is still with Wonyoung now. And while her head knows that Wonyoung needed someone to be with her in this difficult time, her heart can’t help but feel envious at Wonyoung for being able to have Chaewon’s attention so easily. 

 

A can being kicked across the street snaps her out of that negative line of thought. Glancing down, a figure clad in white and mint was walking with a limp. Their arm across their stomach and hunched over, as if dragging themselves to walk. It was dark out but Minjoo could easily tell who it was. There was exactly one person in this city who wears a suit in those colors. That person fell over, leaning against a light pole. 

 

Minjoo gasps and runs down her apartment building to help that person. “Are you okay?!” Getting a closer look, Minjoo could see the vigilante sporting nasty bruises and cut marks across their body. The wound being covered by her arm was seeping through the white fabric, dyeing it a deep scarlet shade. Her suit is torn and her mask has cracks where the eyes are but it is still intact. 

 

“Let me help you. You’re badly hurt.” Minjoo attempts to grab Spiderwoman’s arm but the vigilante dodges out of the way. Spiderwoman shakes her head and tries to escape, only to be pulled back by Minjoo. She wasn’t a strong girl by any means and Spiderwoman was definitely not weak, (that school bus she pulled back from falling off a cliff was not a lightweight dumbbell.) but she falls back anyways due to her weakened state. “Please, I just want to help. I won’t make you take off your mask if that’s what makes you feel uncomfortable.” Minjoo feels the other woman stop resisting.

 

Underneath the mask, Chaewon could see Minjoo’s puppy dog eyes and pout combo that she was always weak to.  _ Well, Minjoo is an honorable person. If she says she won’t unmask me, then I will trust her _ , Chaewon thinks. If she’s being honest, she just wants to be in close proximity to the younger girl. Chaewon is tired of staying away from the younger girl. She still wants to atone for what she did, but with the reappearance of Carnage, Chaewon finds herself more tired, more sleepless these days. She should stay away but just this once, Chaewon wants to indulge. Her mask allows her to hide behind anonymity anyways. As long as Minjoo doesn’t find out, then Chaewon knows she will be alright.

 

\--

 

-Minjoo POV-

 

Spiderwoman is quiet as I apply the bandages on her wounds. I still can’t believe that Spiderwoman is in my apartment getting her wounds checked. It was a bit messy (bloody, really), especially with the big cut on her stomach but I managed to do it. She was surprisingly calm the entire time, only flinching or twitching slightly when the alcohol stung too much, but never vocalizing. She refused to take off her mask, though. 

 

“What if your injury is serious? Won’t you at least go to an urgent care to get it checked? A head injury is not a laughing matter.” But she just shook her head. She mimes writing on an invisible notepad. Understanding what she wants, I grab a notepad and pen off the coffee table and hand it to her. 

 

“ _ I’m not injured on my head. Just a slight headache. _ ” she scribbles out. It looks dirty(?), probably because she wrote it with her left hand since her right was wrapped up in gauze. I nod in response.

 

“Alright, if you say so.” knowing that she wasn’t going to let me check on her any further, I let it go. I start to clean up the first aid kit and the used water bowl and towels. I hear her scribbling some more on the notepad. After another beat of silence, she taps my shoulder.

 

“ _ I’m sorry. _ ” I was confused as to why she was apologizing, so I ask her just that. 

 

“ _ For not being able to save Kim Jihyun and Kim Taeoh. _ ” She writes some more but pauses for a moment, hesitating. I was stunned into silence when I read it. Kim Jihyun and Kim Taeoh are my late parents.

 

“You...knew I was their daughter?” I say after a beat. She simply nods.

 

“ _ I was at their funeral. I saw you. _ ” 

 

So she was there, too. I sigh, not sure as to what the right response is. But then I notice the way Spiderwoman’s hands are trembling slightly. It reminds me of a certain redhead. I imagine that Spiderwoman must’ve been making the same face Chaewon was when she was anxious under that mask. 

 

“I know it’s not your fault. You tried your best.” Spiderwoman’s head turns from side to side, denying my words. I hold up a hand to stop her. “It really isn’t. I mean, at first I was angry at you, no doubt. But then I realized it was irrational of me to judge you when all you were trying to do was save everyone. It was probably more scary for you since those lives were placed into your hands, whether you liked it or not.”

 

Spiderwoman says (writes) nothing for a long time. We simply stare at each other, or at least I think she’s looking at me, in silence. It makes me think that she may have been stunned by my words.

 

Finally she writes out, “ _ Thank you. _ ” I chuckle a bit. For some reason, it seemed almost timid, the way Spiderwoman was right now. So different from her crime fighting self that I saw on TV. “Say, it must be difficult, having to work alone like that.” She shakes her head no, but quickly changes it into a slight nod when she sees the playful glare on my face. Strangely, I’m starting to feel more comfortable in her presence. Like she is someone familiar. 

 

“I have a friend-- well, ex-best friend, I guess, and she used to tell me that being alone is hard. She’d been alone for a while before meeting my other friends and she told me that before meeting them, it was like being trapped in a dark tunnel. The light is visible at the very end but it’s hard to gain the courage to bring yourself closer to it when you’re so used to being far away from it.”. It was sort of bittersweet, recalling this memory because it felt like a lifetime ago since then. I’m not even sure why I’m spilling my guts out right now. Maybe it’s because I’m tired of bottling it in. 

 

(I make a mental note to tell my other friends too. They deserved to know, too. We’ve promised to share the burden. And I try not to think about how it was Chaewon who made us promise to each other. And how she was the one to break it first.)

 

“She helped me gain the courage to reach that light and I’ve been happier ever since. Those words gave me hope. Even now, they’ve become my hope for better days to come.”

 

Spiderwoman reaches out and gives me a slight pat on the head. It wasn’t much of a pat, more like her hand just coming into contact with my head. The gesture was slightly awkward. It comforts me anyways. Her hand was warm.

 

“I just wish that my friend would take her own advice. I... miss her a lot, you know. If only I had the courage to tell her so.” I look up at Spiderwoman from my position on the floor. The clock hanging on my wall lets out a chime to tell me that it is midnight. 

 

“Oh my god! Sorry for rambling like that. I got a little carried away. Things have been a bit difficult and I vented to a total stranger. I’m sorry for taking up your time!” I frantically got up and bowed my head. Spiderwoman waves both of her hands, lifting my head up. She gives me a tap on the shoulder and points to the balcony window. I watch as she opens it and jumps onto the railing, preparing to jump. Right before she does, she waves one last time before disappearing off the balcony. 

 

Feeling tired and slightly overwhelmed, I finish cleaning up the mess and trudge over to my bedroom to prepare for bed. 

 

\--

 

Reporters were gathered in the briefing room in the Blue House. Cameras were pointed towards the stage, ready to broadcast live. President Moon had an important announcement to make today in light of recent events. He walks on the stage to the podium with bodyguards and other important officials flanking him. Notably, military generals from all branches were gathered. Detective Jang Jongho was there as well.

 

Everyone in South Korea watched on in anticipation. All current TV shows were canceled to broadcast this. President Moon raises his hand to stop the chatter.

 

“Hello, citizens of the Republic. I have brought everyone together to announce something important. In light of the terrorism our great country has faced, I am here to offer a solution.” He pauses, taking in the reaction of the people in front of him. “But first, let me ask, what if you could predict a terrorist act before it is committed? What if you could gather the intelligence-- faster than any agency in the world necessary to stop terrorism all together? Wouldn’t you want that? To be able to protect our loved ones from any harm, is a gift that I think we would all sacrifice anything for.”

 

Everyone watching the broadcast go completely still. “I propose the launch of a new, high-tech satellite capable of everything I just spoke of. The design is complete but has not gone into construction yet because I wanted to share this information with you all. A few years ago, the American government tried to launch something similar but it was shrouded in secrecy and armed to kill. And so they failed to launch it. But we will be different. This satellite will not be armed and I invite those with technical expertise to help build it, giving full transparency to the entire project. This project be able will save precious lives. And I want everyone’s blood, sweat, and tears to go into this project. This is a project for the people of the republic and it shall be built by them.”

 

The reporters on the scene burst into applause at the president’s bold statements. Some even had tears in their eyes, probably remembering the loss they felt when their precious ones died by the hands of terrorists or crimes. The president moved to exit the stage but a zealous reporter called him out, “Wait! Mr. President! What will you be calling this satellite?!”

 

The president stopped and smiled, “God’s Eye.” he said with certainty. 

 

\--

 

“Unnie, when are you coming back? Your note said that you would be back by yesterday.” Wonyoung says through the phone speaker. She is writing some items she needed to buy at the grocery store while she talks to Chaewon. 

 

“Sorry, kid. Some stuff came up so I had to deal with it. It’s all good now, I’m heading back right now.”

 

“Pick me up? We need to do some grocery shopping. The fridge is completely empty.”

 

“Sounds good. See you soon.”

 

Wonyoung hangs up and sags into the plush couch. Chaewon left her house sometime after the funeral because when Wonyoung woke up, the older girl was gone and all that was left was a note. Wonyoung pouted at the thought since Chaewon had said she would stay with her for a few days. Oh well. She just hopes that everything is okay with Chaewon. Luckily, her uncle and her best friend came around to keep her company. They couldn't stay with her at night though and so she wished Chaewon was here. 

 

Speaking of uncle, that announcement the president made the other day sparked a huge debate. Almost everyone she knew agreed with the project. Her uncle was publicly supporting it as well, citing the reason as not being able to stop the school shooting and ultimately, losing his sister to it. The public agreed with his sentiment and people were even posting stories on social media, telling their stories of loss and regret due to criminals. It was pretty much set in stone that the bill to fund the project will be ratified. After all, a project made to resonate in the hearts of people while also providing an economic stimulus with jobs to build it, was too attractive for lawmakers to ignore. Going against it may be political suicide at this point. 

 

Wonyoung must have been lost in thought for a long time because Chaewon is now standing in front of her, waving her hand in her face to get her attention. 

 

“You’re here!” Wonyoung leaps up from the couch to wrap Chaewon in a bear hug. Chaewon laughs slightly, groaning internally at her injuries that have yet to be healed. Her clothes covered it up though and there was none on her face that makeup couldn't handle. 

 

“Sorry again Wonyo.” Chaewon’s words were muffled by Wonyoung’s sweater.

 

“It’s okay. Uncle Jongho and Yujin unnie were here the past few days. Let’s go to the store now.” 

 

Wonyoung releases Chaewon and goes to the front door to put on her shoes. Chaewon watches her in concern, wondering if the younger girl is really okay. Chaewon admits that leaving Wonyoung alone when she said she’d be there for the younger was not her smartest moment. But she had to find out more information about Carnage. What she didn't expect was a secret hideout and being patched up by her old friend. 

 

The two get on Chaewon’s black motorcycle and drive off to the store. They pull up into a parking space 20 minutes later. Wonyoung gets off first and waits for Chaewon to do so as well. When she notices that the redhead was unmoving, she tilts her head, confusion on her face. 

 

“Unnie? What’s wrong?”

 

“Wonyo. Be honest with me. Are you having a hard time?” Wonyoung is taken aback by the random question.

 

“Well yes because of, you know...” Wonyoung says meekly. Her gaze falls to the floor. 

 

“I know. Which is why I’m asking you directly since I know you won't ask for help on your own.”

 

“What are you talking about? Of course I ask for help--”

 

“Wonyoung.” Chaewon gives her a stern look, “Your uncle and your friend probably came by to check on you because they were concerned that you wouldn’t ask them to stay with you. If you were really asking for help, you wouldn’t have waited all these days for me to contact you. You would have called me, regardless of the note I left. But you didn't.”

 

Chaewon watches as Wonyoung squirms in place. Wonyoung didn't want to admit it, but Chaewon was spot on. She just didn't want to burden anyone with her dampened moods. So she tells the older girl just that.

 

“You idiot.” Chaewon gently bumps her fist on Wonyoung’s forehead. Her eyes soften when Wonyoung pouts with a sad look in her eyes. “We care about you. You would never be a burden to us. Losing someone does that to you. It’s alright to lean on us when you’re feeling down.” For the first time in a while, Wonyoung sees the soft smile on Chaewon’s face directed at her. It was warm and kind and affectionate. Wonyoung thought that she would never see her favorite unnie smile like that again. Not since everything that has happened. But here she is, doing just that. Wonyoung swallows roughly, feeling the tears she’s trying so hard to hold in, finally burst through the dam. 

 

“Unnie...” Wonyoung hiccups. The next thing she knows, she is being embraced by several people. She hears all of them talking at once.

 

“Bunny!”

 

“Wonyoungie! Don’t cry!”

 

“Our baby is such a crybaby!”

 

“If you cry then I will cry too! Don’t think I won’t!”

 

“Yena...please don’t. We’re in public.”

 

“Aw come on kiddo, don’t cry. We’re here now.”

 

“The better half of annyeongz is here to save you!”

 

That last one was ridiculous so Wonyoung ended up laughing through her tears. “There’s your smile.” Yujin said happily. The group gave her some space so she got a good look at her friends’ faces which she had not seen in a few days. She wipes her tears with her sleeves and genuinely smiles.

 

“Hey guys. Not that I don't want you here but there’s no way all of you were just hanging around the parking lot of a grocery store just to jump me.” Wonyoung says, half-joking, half-serious. 

 

Eunbi is the one to speak up, “Chaewon contacted us. Said you needed help.” 

 

Wonyoung sniffs and looks to the girl hanging behind the group. She’s leaning on her motorcycle with a small smile, looking fondly at Wonyoung. Wonyoung gives her a questioning look and receives a shrug in response. 

 

“Figured you’d need them.” With her hands in her jacket pockets, Chaewon walks past the group. “I’ll be buying whatever you need Wonyo. Go spend the day with them.” Wonyoung makes her way out of the center of the group and hugs the older girl tightly. 

 

“Thank you unnie.” Wonyoung whispers into her ear. She feels really blessed to have Chaewon looking out for her. Happier already, Wonyoung wants to spend the day together with her favorite unnie who made this possible. “Come with us, unnie.”

 

Chaewon turns around to look the taller girl in the eyes. Smiling wryly, Chaewon admits, “Sorry kid. I’m not quite ready yet to face them. I already used up all of my courage for this one.” It was then that Wonyoung noticed Chaewon’s slight trembling in her hands. She still tried her best to smile for the younger girl though. Wonyoung knew that Chaewon was suffering anxiety and that her old friends were part of the source, so she decides not to push it. 

 

“One day though, right?” Wonyoung asks, hopeful. 

 

“Yeah. One step at a time, I promise.” 

 

“Okay.”

 

“Have fun. I’ll see you back at your house tonight.” With that, Chaewon gives the group one last look before turning away.

 

\--

 

Wonyoung and Yujin were hanging out in the park. The sky was a dusty shade of orange and red, the sun already almost set. Wonyoung had a fruitful day with the girls. They went to a carnival that opened up in town and played games and rode roller coasters all day. It was relaxing to have fun with them. It took her mind off of a lot of things and she noticed how hard they tried to keep her smiling. 

 

(Yena told her that it was a special mission given to them by Chaewon. Wonyoung thinks that her heart couldn't be more full of affection for the older girl.)

 

But now that the adrenaline has worn off, the emptiness threatened to swallow her whole. Her best friend, Yujin noticed it immediately and took her to the park instead of walking her home. They sat on the swings in a comfortable silence. 

 

“So, did you have fun?” Yujin starts off. 

 

“Yeah. You guys are the best.”

 

“Oh whew. I was worried that you would go home to Chaewon unnie with that look on your face and she would think that we failed our mission.” Wonyoung laughs at that. 

 

“C’mon, you know Chaewon unnie isn’t a scary person.”

 

“I know but its been a while since we spoke. She’s changed.” Wonyoung hums in response. “Though I guess you got lucky Won. Chaewon unnie kept in contact with you.”

 

“She did but she kept her distance. The only reason why we still kept in contact was because of my mom. It was hard to reach out to her.” Wonyoung sighs. Chaewon was never mean to her. In fact, Chaewon has impeccable manners but Wonyoung remembers how she started to pull away. She came by her house less and less. Even when she was there, she tended to leave as quickly as possible. And Wonyoung could do nothing for her since the older girl was good at keeping her distance. 

 

But things were changing, too. Today was proof of that. Wonyoung had hope.

 

“Still, I’m glad that she contacted us to see you today. The others were worried about you too.” Yujin’s voice was soothing, calming Wonyoung’s inner turmoil. Wonyoung nods her head. 

 

“I promise to call you guys more from now on. I don't want to keep things bottled up anymore.” 

 

The two friends continue to swing lightly in silence. Yujin was trying to think of the right things to say but she hesitated. Turning over to look at the younger, Yujin’s heart gets caught in her throat at how serene Wonyoung looks in the fading light. Wonyoung was always pretty, that much was obvious. But Yujin was truly appreciating her beauty now. It was like looking at her in a new light. It made her heart warm. And it made her want to be honest with herself.

 

“Can I tell you something?” Yujin blurts out. Wonyoung looks over at Yujin, curiosity in her gaze.

 

“I think I'm selfish.”

 

“What?”

 

“I… I did want to see you today but it was really more for myself.” Yujin takes a deep breath before continuing. 

 

“I haven’t really been honest these past few days. Just… I’ve been having some trouble at home and I wanted to get away from it. Seeing you was just an excuse to make myself feel better.”

 

Wonyoung jumps off her swing to kneel by Yujin. Looking at the older girl now, Wonyoung notices a barely hidden pain in her eyes. She silently berates herself for not noticing before. Yujin can surprisingly be hard to read at times. 

 

“I thought you got along just fine with your parents, Yujinnie. What’s the matter?”

 

“I do. Its...its….Wonyoung, promise me. That you won't hate me.” Yujin has her eyes tightly shut.

 

“Yujinnie, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”

 

“Promise me.”

 

“O-okay, I promise. Whatever you say won't make me hate you. I could never hate you. You’re my best friend.”

 

“My father, my biological father is Ahn Hyoseob.”

 

Silence. 

 

Yujin opens her eyes to look into stunned ones. But to her relief, Wonyoung doesn’t pull away. If anything, she comes closer to hold both of her hands.

 

“My mother was devastated when he was arrested. I think she knew what he was doing with Carnage but loved him anyways. He didn't raise me and I didn't know him. All I knew was that I had to move a lot because of the trouble that man cause. Thinking back on it, my mother was probably obsessed with him. She probably still is.” Yujin can feel herself trembling.

 

“And the fact that I am that man’s child, that I share his last name didn't make going to school easy for me. It was suffocating at times. And mom, mom was unstable for a very long time until my stepdad came into the picture. The school shooting triggered something in her, maybe hope that he is still alive and that he has a chance of getting out of prison.”

 

“Oh Yujinnie… Is she…?”

 

“Not completely, but the cracks are starting to show in her behavior. She’s been tearing up newspapers concerning that satellite since it’s obviously aimed towards people like him. I don't want to go home to see that. I thought she was over him.” Wonyoung tugs Yujin off the swing to give her a big hug. 

 

“You aren’t selfish, Yujin. You have a big heart. One of the biggest I know. And no matter what people tell you, you aren’t your parents. They don’t define who you are. You’re just Yujinnie, my bestest friend in the whole world.” Yujin sees fondness in Wonyoung’s eyes and she breathes out a sigh of relief. Wonyoung validating her individuality-her existence, was so freeing. 

 

“You’re my whole world, Wonyoung.” Yujin’s heart blurts out, completely ignoring her brain’s logical side. She was sure that there was a blush on her face, making her imitate a tomato.

 

Wonyoung, bless her angel soul, smiles so brightly that even the dimming world around them lights up. She leans forward to place a kiss on Yujin’s cheek.

 

“Go on a date with me?” Yujin asks, nervous, even though Wonyoung’s expression contained nothing that would suggest rejection.

 

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

  
  
  
  



	4. Not as they seem

-Chaewon’s POV-

 

God’s Eye. The bill to fund the satellite is currently undergoing voting in the Blue House and the result is expected to come through by tomorrow morning. With that satellite, terrorism will be cut down. Though the United Nations is wary of it after the United States failed to launch their own version. They are probably worried that the satellite will spy on other countries and they may be right, but they can hardly refute anything due to the project’s transparency. The president even allowed the UN to send in some scientists of their choosing to oversee the project plans.

 

But still, something about that project unsettles me. One on hand, I will no longer need to be Spiderwoman but on the other hand, I don’t know who I would be without my suit. I lived every day of my life preparing to fight crime. It was a gift (or a curse?) that my parents gave me and I have been faithfully carrying out my duties ever since. I don't think I even know how to live normally anymore. I wonder what Mother and Father would say if they were here. Would they be upset that their life’s work will be no longer needed in this world? Or would they welcome it and tell me to live a normal life now?

 

I wouldn’t be able to say for sure. On some days, I think a lot about them. But on other days, I find it hard to recall certain details about them. Did Mother have a mole under her right eye? Did Father wear glasses all the time, or was it just for working? They both liked tea over coffee right? What did their laughter sound like, again?

 

The harder I think about it, the more blank these two people in my head become. It hasn’t even been a year since they left this world.

 

I laugh. If there were people around me right now, they would think I’m crazy. Well, if they were able to hear my thoughts, they would probably skin me alive. Here I am, feeling conflicted about God’s Eye but not because of a national security doubt, but because of my own existential crisis. God, sometimes, I can be really pathetic, even to myself. I thought I was done living for myself after what happened to Mother and Father.

 

Feeling slightly angry with myself, I throw a rock in the pond I am standing over, distorting my reflection over the ripples. The winter breeze was biting into my skin, though I could barely feel it from how numb I was. I grab onto the bridge rails and stand on top of one rung, breathing in the air as much as I can to calm myself. It doesn’t really work, as the frustration in me bubbles up even higher to the surface. The grip I have on the rails is so tight that my hands are starting to hurt. Looking down into the pond below, I consider jumping into it to quell the fire. It’s so shallow anyways, it’ll cool me down without killing me. I’m starting to think it’s a good idea because smoke and fire are starting to fill my lungs that I--

 

“Chae!” A hand reaches out to pull me down from my perch. I land hard on the wooden bridge, lying on my back. Opening my eyes, I see the most beautiful person on Earth.

 

“Minjoo?” I reach up to poke her cheeks. Making contact, I realize that she is really here and quickly sit up.

 

“Are you okay?! I’m sorry I pulled you so hard but you looked like you were going to jump!” Minjoo says in rapid-fire, worry coloring her tone. I could see the panic in her widened eyes.

 

“Calm down. I was just feeling a little hot.” 

 

“So you wanted to jump into the pond?! I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.” My flippant tone left Minjoo incredulous. But her eyes contained a bit of amusement in them and she even did that thing where she imitates a frog with her wide eyes.

 

“The pond isn’t even that deep. It’s like 3 feet deep.”

 

“But still! We’re in the middle of winter and you want to jump into the pond.” Minjoo deadpans. I couldn't help myself and started laughing. This whole situation sounds ridiculous when spoken out loud. It isn’t long until she joins in on the laughter. 

 

“What are we doing?” I ask as I stand up in front of her. She hasn’t stopped smiling and that put me at ease. The burning frustration in me dissipated with her presence.

 

“I should be asking you that. It’s late out and you’re here. Wonyoung was asking if we saw you anywhere.” Minjoo says. I pull out my phone to see that Wonyoung was indeed looking for me. That kid has been clingier these past few days after that conversation we had at the grocery store. But she’s such a cute kid, like a little sister I wish I had, that I find myself going along with her antics. Oh well, whatever makes her smile. I type out a message to tell her where I am and who I am with.

 

All I get back is a smiley face. The amusement must’ve shown on my face because Minjoo says, “Wonyoung?” and I simply nod back. Putting away my phone, I finally notice how close we are standing together. It startles me a bit and I take a step back. Minjoo looked a little hurt but said nothing and didn't try to get closer to me. Instead, she leans her arms on the railing of the bridge and gazes out into the water. 

 

I copy her pose and we stand in silence for a long time, just listening to the water ripples. She looks serene just standing there. I thought for sure that she would keep trying to get close to me like how she was a few weeks ago, but she didn't. I glance down at my hands and see them trembling ever so slightly, like they always do when I am in Minjoo’s presence. 

 

But, I remember what she said to me. Well not to me exactly, but to Spiderwoman. That she misses me. And I would be lying if I said that I didn't miss her too. And I promised Wonyoung that I would try. 

 

With these two things in mind, I muster the courage to ask Minjoo to get some ice cream with me.

\--

Minjoo never expected to be eating mint chocolate ice cream in the middle of winter. At 2:00 AM to boot. The fact that this ice cream shop opens at such an ungodly hour is the biggest mystery of all. But above all, Minjoo never expected Chaewon to be the one to invite her to eat ice cream. 

 

The older girl is currently enjoying her ice cream across from Minjoo. She looks happy eating the ice cream that Minjoo can’t bring herself to disturb the older girl’s peace like she used to.

 

( “Eat your own ice cream, Minjoo!”

 

“But I want yourssssss.” Minjoo whines like a child.

 

“We literally have the same flavor.” Chaewon deadpans.

 

“Yeah but others’ ice cream always tastes better than my own.” Minjoo says in a matter-of-fact tone. Chaewon sighs and shakes her head with a small smile. Minjoo ends up eating all of her ice cream as a result. Chaewon could never really say no to the younger girl.)

 

“Chae.” Chaewon looks up at her name. Minjoo laughs slightly at the ice cream smeared on her mouth. Chaewon is still such a messy eater when it comes to mint chocolate ice cream. Minjoo finds comfort in knowing that some things haven’t changed with the redhead. She hands her  napkin. Chaewon accepts the napkin and wipes her mouth.

 

“Not that I don’t like this but are you okay with having me around?” Minjoo asks. She would hate it if Chaewon was pushing herself too hard by having her around. She doesn’t want the older girl to get hurt again. Minjoo saw how coming on too strong made Chaewon more anxious and she realized that it wasn’t the right way to approach the older girl again.

 

Chaewon looks startled for a second but quickly relaxes when she sees the anxious look in Minjoo’s eyes. “I would be lying if I said I am completely fine right now, but...I do want you around Minjoo.” Chaewon swallows the rest of her ice cream and continues, “I was a shitty friend for pulling away when I did.”

 

Minjoo opens her mouth to retort but Chaewon holds up her hand to stop her. “Don’t try to justify my actions Minjoo. It was crappy of me and I’m sorry. I don’t think I can ever make it up to you.” her voice cracks at the end and she hangs her head low, afraid to meet Minjoo’s eyes. 

 

Minjoo’s heart hurts at seeing the quiver in her hands. She just wants Chaewon to be okay. So she tells her just that. Placing a comforting hand on Chaewon’s quaking one, she sighed internally in relief that Chaewon didn’t pull away. 

 

“I...I just want us to be friends again, if you’ll have me. I missed you so much and sure, I was mad at you at first but now? Now, I just miss having you near. I don’t need you to make it up to me, I just want to be there for you. Is that okay? We don’t need to be close again immediately but baby steps at a time?” the sincerity in Minjoo’s voice touched Chaewon. So Chaewon turns her hand in Minjoo’s upward to hold on to it.

 

After what happened to Wonyoung’s mother, something had shifted in Chaewon. She doesn’t want to regret not being near the people she cares about anymore. She regretted not spending more time with her parents when they were alive. She regretted leaving sooner at Teacher Jang’s house when she was there. Chaewon decides that she doesn’t want to wallow in her fears and what-ifs any longer. If she were to lose Minjoo too, Chaewon knows that this would be her biggest regret if she doesn’t take this chance to rekindle their friendship.

 

(Chaewon doesn’t want to regret anything related to Minjoo. Never, if she can help it.)

 

So Chaewon gives Minjoo a small smile and a nod, “Yeah, I would like that, Minjoo. Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

 

They partake in small talk afterwards, trying to catch up with the things that they’ve missed in each other’s lives. Minjoo learns that Chaewon is considering moving in with Wonyoung so that the younger girl wouldn’t be in that house alone. Chaewon learns that Minjoo’s relatives want her to move in their home but she refused due to her apartment being closer to school. 

 

As they talk, the owner of the ice cream shop turns on the TV. Minjoo diverts her attention from Chaewon to see a replay of a campaign speech the president gave about God’s Eye, featuring some designers of the development team. 

 

“Chae, how do you feel about that project?” Minjoo’s curiosity won out. Chaewon contemplates for a long while before responding.

 

“I don't know.” She decides on. “There are many good things that can be accomplished with that kind of technology, but there are definitely many other things that seem to be in the metaphorical grey area.”

 

“Can I tell you something, then?” Chaewon tilts her head, signalling Minjoo to go on. 

 

“I’m against it.” Minjoo whispers, not wanting the store owner to hear her. She isn’t in the mood to get lynched but she trusts Chaewon. Chaewon seemed surprised at the admission. She thought for sure Minjoo would want this project to come through, to prevent what happened to their parents from happening again.

 

“You’re right about it being able to do good things but that’s assuming it will fall under the right hands. I’m not a government conspiracy geek or anything but to me, the cost of using this satellite would be people’s freedom. I can’t think of any other way it could work without stripping people of their rights.” The resolution on the younger’s face seemed foreign to Chaewon but, Chaewon was also proud to see Minjoo asserting her opinion. She also had a point that people were overlooking. Even Chaewon didn't think much about what it will take to operate the satellite. 

 

Seeing realization come on to Chaewon’s face gave some relief to Minjoo. It looks like she won't be getting lynched any time soon. Chaewon licks her dry mouth and nods to Minjoo. Minjoo isn’t sure what that nod means but she sees a different glint in Chaewon’s eyes.

 

Chaewon doesn’t know why she chose to do this in this moment but she turns back to the television screen. And in that moment, she notices something in the background that would forever change her perspective on God’s Eye.

 

Standing behind the president are two scientists that she saw that night in the underground tunnel. 

\--

 

“Hey. It’s been a while.” Chaewon says through the phone receiver. 

 

“ _ Yes, it has. I noticed your suit went back online a few weeks ago. I thought you were done being Spiderwoman after that tragedy. _ ” The other voice says back.

 

“I thought so too but Carnage resurfaced, Hina. I need your help.”

 

“ _ Hm? Isn’t the government going to launch that satellite? They will have the means to stop Carnage themselves. _ ”

 

“That’s the problem, Hina. The satellite team has been infiltrated by Carnage. I can’t let them launch it. The bill is all but guaranteed to pass so we have to stop the production somehow.”

 

“ _ Oh god. This is going to be messy business. _ ”

 

“Yeah tell me about it. So, are you in?”

 

“ _ Always will be, partner. _ ”

 

“Great. I’ll send you the footage from my mask. We need to be ready for anything.”

 

\--

 

The next few days are spent waiting and pacing around for Chaewon. She moved into Wonyoung’s home to keep her company and she saw plenty of Yujin. Of course, she gave the tall girl a stern warning about what would happen if she hurt Wonyoung in any form. 

 

(Yujin learned a lot about Chaewon that day. Like how the older girl knew a lot about pressure points to immobilize people she may decide to use it on. 

 

She also learned how much of a pushover Chaewon was for Wonyoung. 

 

“Chaewon unnie, please stop threatening Yujinnie. We are going to the movie theater in 30 minutes and I’d like my date to be in one piece.” Wonyoung pouts with puppy eyes.

 

Yujin watches in awe as Chaewon goes from a sharp knife to a puddle of goo in a matter of seconds.)

 

Chaewon tried to do some research of her own on Carnage and God’s Eye but came up empty. All she can do now is rely on Hina to find out more information. 

 

She ends up spending more time with Minjoo on an individual basis. Thank god the girl was literally an angel and knew not to overwhelm Chaewon with all of her friends at once. Wonyoung was ecstatic to see Chaewon finally reconnecting with the group. 

 

Today, the weather is frigid but Minjoo wanted to go to the bookstore to pick up a few new books she has been meaning to buy. Chaewon is waiting in front of her apartment with her car. It’s too dangerous for her to be riding her bike with the slippery roads and she was not about to risk Minjoo’s life by doing so. 

 

Minjoo comes out of the apartment complex in a large coat and a familiar scarf around her neck. It was the red scarf that they bought as a set last christmas. She walks up to Chaewon who is leaning against her car and pulls the same scarf out of her bag to wrap around Chaewon’s neck. 

 

Chaewon is surprised and it must have shown on her face because Minjoo is giggling, “Surprise! I saw that you didn’t wear a scarf so I grabbed this one. I know you...lost yours so I wanted to give you another one.”

 

Chaewon raises one eyebrow slightly, partially in disbelief, “You saw me throw it away didn't you?” her tone is somber at the thought of how hurt Minjoo must’ve been seeing her throw away her gift. 

 

“Yeah… but I figured you had a reason for it. And it’s okay, we don't need to live in the past. You’re here now and that’s what matters to me.”

 

“Okay. Thank you Minjoo. I’ll take care of it this time.”

 

\--

 

After shopping in the bookstore, they decide to get lunch too while they are outside. 

 

“Any preferences? I don't mind going anywhere.” Chaewon asks as she takes the bags from Minjoo’s hands. 

 

Minjoo thinks with her hand on her chin, “Hm, the cafe?” She winces a bit as she responds, afraid of what Chaewon would say. “Uh, wait actually, nevermind. I said that I wouldn’t force you and it was insensitive of me to suggest-”

 

“Minjoo, breathe.” Chaewon has a kind smile on her lips, letting Minjoo know that she is okay with it. “I know I said I wanted to take baby steps but I’m not made of glass either. The Celeb Cafe is a short walk from here right? Shall we?” Minjoo nods eagerly. In her giddiness, Minjoo grabs onto Chaewon’s empty hand to hold it. 

 

Realizing her mistake too late, Minjoo apologizes and tries to pull away. But her hand is held in place. She looks over to Chaewon’s face for any signs of discomfort but sees none. In fact, Chaewon is facing straight ahead but has a smile on her face. As if infectious, Minjoo grins too, though she knows she probably has a blush on her cheeks. She shyly knocks her head gently against the older girl’s shoulder. She is also pleased to find that Chaewon’s hand is completely relaxed in her grip. 

 

They don't get to make it far on their walk before being stopped by familiar voices. 

 

“Minjoo? Chaewon?”

 

The two turn around to see Yena and Yuri standing there, also holding hands. From the looks of it, they were on a date. Minjoo immediately turns to Chaewon, ready to pull her out of the situation at the slightest sign of discomfort. Instead, she finds Chaewon’s mouth pulled up in a half smile. 

 

“Hi Yena, Yuri. Long time no see.” Chaewon breaks the stare down first. Immediately, they both smile brightly and greet her excitedly. 

 

“Are you two on a date too?” It was a harmless question but caused Chaewon and Minjoo to blush deeply anyways. 

 

“N-no, we’re just hanging out together. As f-friends.” Minjoo responds. The YenYul couple are suspicious but decide not to push it. They heard about Minjoo becoming closer to Chaewon again and were happy about it. They can only hope that Chaewon would let them back into her heart too.

 

“Oh. Well, we’re going to the Celeb Cafe for lunch. Want to join us?” Minjoo is thankful that they didn't tease any further. The four make their way over to the cafe. 

 

Minjoo really couldn't stop smiling that day. Chaewon was slowly but surely healing. And that in turn, would help Minjoo heal too. 

 

( She had to suffer through her friends’ teasing when Chaewon left the table to use the restroom. 

 

“You guys are so cute with your matching scarfs!” Yuri squeals. Next to her, Yena nods vigorously like a cartoon character. 

 

“Be honest Min, you still like her.” Minjoo blushes even more at the direct inquiry. 

 

“You guys know that I always have. But right now, what she needs is a friend, not be burdened by my feelings.”

 

“I don’t know Minjoo. She seems to like you back but hey, take things at your own pace. I’m glad that getting her back made you happier.”)

 

Things were looking up, Minjoo thinks. That light at the end of the tunnel wasn’t so far after all. Minjoo can only hope Chaewon feels the same way.

  
  
  
  
  



	5. Carnage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of Elle leaving a review and noticing me lmao
> 
> Also, got a curiouscat for people who want to ask me questions: Loonateaa (with 2 a's at the end)

The world was constantly changing. It moved so fast that at times, you would be thrown off its axis if you weren’t prepared. Chaewon had this dizzying experience when that building burned down and threw her life off kilter. She felt it again when she saw Teacher Jang at the bottom of the school grounds. It was like two punches to the gut and Chaewon was not prepared to guard. 

 

The world was constantly changing, moving so fast that inevitably, people would be left behind. And once again, the world was spinning so fast that no one could have anticipated this event.

 

\--

 

It was all over the news. President Moon was providing a progress report speech about God’s Eye. In the next moment, he is on the ground, with a hole in his heart, draining him of his life force. The screen behind him changed into a familiar insignia. The alien-like monster, painted in black and red glared at the crowd. Chaos broke out, with officers on the scene trying to carry the dying (dead?) President to safety. A video played on the big screen.

 

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I am the leader of Carnage, Ahn Hyoseob. Your dear nation decided that they wanted to kill off people like me, so I have retaliated. Your president is dead. Those who wish to oppose the agenda of Carnage will suffer the same fate.” He laughed maniacally on the screen. He was also wearing regular clothes and completely unbound. The implications were obvious; he had escaped prison. 

 

“But, I am a man of faith. I will be merciful. Stop the construction of the satellite and we can all live happy lives.” The audience was in uproar, shouting profanities at the screen even if Ahn Hyoseob couldn't hear them.

 

Meanwhile, Chaewon and Wonyoung were watching it unfold at home on their TV screen. Chaewon’s hand itched to press her smartwatch but she remembered that Wonyoung was in the room with her. Instead, she pulls out her laptop and logs onto Twitter, knowing that everyone would be talking about this faster than news sites. As expected, people were tweeting about the assination of President Moon and the escape of Ahn Hyoseob. And they were angry.

 

_ If the government stops God’s Eye from launching, these terrorists will win _

 

_ The satellite needs to kill off these bastards _

 

_ Wtf is happening?! Ahn Hyoseob is out of prison?! Explain @BlueHouse _

 

_ Dear @BlueHouse, don't fuck this up. #CarryPresidentsWillOn _

 

“Unnie...” Wonyoung was understandably scared, as murder just occured right before her eyes. Chaewon quickly shuts off the TV and embraces Wonyoung tightly. 

 

“It’ll be alright. I’m here.” Both of their phones buzz at the same time. For Wonyoung, it was a message from her uncle, telling her not to leave the house just in case crazy people come for her. For Chaewon, it was a message from Minjoo. The younger girl was scared and wanted to come over.

 

“Wonyo, I’m going to pick up Minjoo, she doesn’t want to be alone. Stay here okay? I’ll be right back.” Wonyoung nods and Chaewon places a kiss on her forehead before grabbing her keys.

 

\--

 

Pulling up into the parking lot of Minjoo’s apartment, Chaewon quickly turns off her engine and gets out of the car. Minjoo is already waiting for her with a duffel bag. The younger girl runs up to Chaewon to hug her tightly. Chaewon returns the hug and ushers her into the car. 

 

They take the small roads back to Wonyoung’s house but run into traffic. Chaewon glances to the left to see what is going on ahead, and what she sees makes her freeze up. People are taking to the streets to protest the possible discontinuation of the satellite. Hundreds of thousands of people put their blood, sweat and tears into it; they didn't want it to be stopped. Especially with what happened to the man who made this possible. 

 

“Shit, the roads are blocked. Minjoo, do you think you’ll be alright with riding my bike? We can cut through some small roads on it. Wonyoung’s house is still a few miles out.” Chaewon looks over to see Minjoo’s face white as a sheet. Worry fills Chaewon and so she reaches over to grasp Minjoo’s hand. 

 

“Minjoo?” Minjoo snaps out of it and bobs her head quickly in agreement. Chaewon drives the car into the parking garage where her bike is kept. 

 

(It wasn’t actually her bike. She contacted Hina to let her use a bike. She’d doubt Minjoo would notice the difference anyways.)

 

Chaewon drives through narrow alleyways and suspicious shortcuts (someone’s lawn) to make it back to Wonyoung’s house under 15 minutes. Stepping through the threshold, Chaewon notices another pair of shoes that does not belong to either her or Wonyoung. When the pair gets to the living room, they see Yujin cuddled up with Wonyoung. The youngest had her head on Yujin’s shoulder, holding her hand. Chaewon wasn’t really surprised to see Yujin there, as Yujin would do just about anything for Wonyoung. Chaewon was glad that Yujin will always there for Wonyoung when she can’t be.

 

“Hey, kids.” Minjoo greets tiredly. She flops down on the couch next to Wonyoung and pats her head absent-mindedly. Chaewon doesn’t sit down and instead chooses to stand by the doorway to observe. The three girls looked so exhausted and scared of what was happening. Chaewon knew that she had to do something, and soon, because she refuses to lose any more precious people. She discreetly checks her smartwatch for any updates from Hina but there were none. 

 

Sighing. Chaewon makes her way over to the couch to stand in front of it. “Minjoo, Yujin, stay over for a few days. It may be unsafe to go outside. I restocked the fridge yesterday too so we should be alright.” The others give their okay.

 

Chaewon notices how Yujin looks anxious; her leg is bouncing in place and Wonyoung has to place a hand on it to stop her from bouncing. Wonyoung squeezes Yujin’s hand in hers to provide some comfort and it seems to work for Yujin manages to take a deep breath, “Unnies, I have something to tell you.”

 

Chaewon and Minjoo listen to how Yujin’s biological father is in fact, Ahn Hyoseob and how Yujin had a hard time because of this fact. But they reassure her that they don't hold it against her--Yujin is Yujin, the big, lovable golden-retriever human, they said.

 

“But the reason why I’m telling you this is because I think have a clue as to how he got out of prison.” Chaewon tries not to look too elated at the unexpected lead. At this point, Chaewon was willing to chase even ghost leads to stop that man.

 

“My mother has been missing since yesterday and my stepdad is currently out of the country on business so he doesn’t know.”

 

“Have you tried contacting the police?” Minjoo gets off the couch to sit on Yujin’s other side. She can see how much it strains the younger to talk about this.

 

“I - I didn't because I was scared. W-what if my mother was really the one to help him? Where would that leave m-me?” Yujin swallowed a big lump in her throat, feeling more vulnerable than ever. What else could they say? Chaewon’s mind was running a mile a minute, trying to figure out the best course of action. She had to let Hina know about this possible lead. 

 

“Yujin, if it turns out to be true, you are not to blame, okay? I’ll protect you if it comes to that. You have a place here, with Wonyoung, so don't worry.” Chaewon assures the younger girl, petting her head softly. She knows how scary it could be to be alone and she’d do just about anything to prevent Yujin from feeling like that. (Minjoo’s and Wonyoung’s hearts swell with pride and affection for the older girl. She is one of the most selfless people they know.)

 

Night falls and Chaewon ushers everyone into their room, Yujin staying in Wonyoung’s and Minjoo in Chaewon’s. Chaewon opted to sleep on the couch out of respect for Minjoo’s personal space but Minjoo is secretly disappointed that she won’t be able to cuddle the redhead like how they used to. 

 

Sensing that the coast is clear and that everyone is deep asleep, Chaewon grabs her burner phone and calls the new number Hina gave her. The phone rings once before she picks up.

 

“Found anything?” Chaewon starts.

 

“Yeah. That lead you gave me, Shin Miyeon? She was recently spotted near the maximum security facility. The guards at the front turned her away and she left. After that, the last place she was seen on camera is near a dilapidated corporate building. I’ve also analyzed the broadcast video and Ahn Hyoseob appears to be in a place that matches that building. The coordinates have been sent to your mask but that building seems to be blocking out signals. You’ll be in the dark.”

 

“Okay. Thanks. What about the satellite?”

 

“Nothing worth noting yet. I looked into the scientists you showed me but I haven’t been able to track any movements or even their identities. Be careful, Chaewon. Something strange is up with Carnage.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Chaewon hangs up and walks to the door. Activating her suit’s camouflage mode, she exits into the darkness.

 

\--

 

Chaewon scales the building that Hina described to her, seeing suspicious movements inside the building. Reaching the top floor, Chaewon peers inside and clearly sees Ahn Hyoseob sitting on a chair in the middle of the office floor. He lifts his head and turns around, making direct eye- contact with her. 

 

“Spidy! So glad you could make it!” Ahn Hyoseob greets cheerfully. Chaewon makes no moves to uncloak herself, in case he is bluffing to get her to reveal herself. “Now, now Spidy, I know you’re there. Come out so we can chat.” Ahn Hyoseob makes a show of standing up with his hands in the air.

 

“I’m probably going to regret this...” Chaewon says under her breath. She opens a window and slips inside, uncloaked. 

 

“Welcome.”

 

“How did you escape prison?” Chaewon cuts right to the chase.

 

“Aw come on. I finally get to see you again after you got me thrown into prison and this is how you greet me? Bad manners Spidy. I even set up this shit-show of a party just for you.” the burly man clicks his tongue, as if he were scolding a child. The implications were clear though. He knew Chaewon was going to come for him and that this was a trap. Chaewon would have to tread carefully.

 

“I’m not interested in playing games with you. Tell me what you are planning to do with God’s Eye.” Chaewon grits out, unamused. 

 

“You tell me, Spidy.”

 

“I know that Carnage is in that project. That would mean sabotage, but your return suggests something contradictory. You demanded to stop the launch and even killed the president. Why would you and your organization do completely different things?” Ahn Hyoseob takes a step closer to Chaewon and Chaewon tenses up. 

 

Like a bolt from above, Chaewon comes to a realization, “Unless...you did that to make the president a martyr. You wanted to raise more support for the satellite so that any opposition to it is completely crushed.” It was an open secret that many other nations opposed the satellite, but with the death of the president, they would have no choice but to support it if they didn't want to lose South Korea as an ally. 

 

Ahn Hyoseob claps his hands in a slow, mocking manner. “Correct, Spidy. I’m sure you had your suspicions and now I am confirming them. But you’re too late in stopping me and Carnage. Weapons have already been installed onto the satellite. It’s only a matter of time before it is launched. And the first targets? All the bastards in that god damn Blue House.”

 

Without warning, the big man swings his legs out in a sweep but Chaewon’s reflexes saved her. She jumped on the outstretched leg and threw her own kick. To her surprise, he catches her midair and tosses her against the far wall. He cracks his knuckles ominously, approaching.

 

“Today, Spidy, I get to kill you and get my revenge.” 

 

Chaewon gets up, slightly disoriented but overall okay thanks to her suit’s cushioning. Her mask displayed several weak points on her opponent but Ahn Hyoseob was faster than she thought, for a man of his size.

 

They continue to trade blows, neither side giving the other a decisive blow. But they are starting to lose stamina. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Chaewon notices a red light blinking. She set the command for the computer to scan it but had to be discreet.

 

“Why are you doing this? What is the purpose of Carnage besides spreading destruction?” Chaewon hopes that by appealing to his ego, he would be distracted enough to give her an opening. His posture doesn’t change but he does let out a blood-thirsty grin.

 

“Just that, Spidy. I just want to leave my mark on this pathetic world. I grew dissatisfied with everything. Then, I thought, what if I was the king? I could change things to my liking, to my ego. My legacy will be built upon death and destruction. The satellite is just another means for that.” He dashes forward with incredible speed and lands a solid kick on Chaewon’s guard. Chaewon slides backwards but keeps her footing steady. She can’t afford to slip up and let him land a heavy hit on her. It might just knock her out.

 

In that moment, her mask displays cameras hidden in the room. Cameras? Her computer runs through several streaming platforms but comes up empty.  _ It isn’t being broadcasted to everyone so why are there cameras _ , Chaewon thinks.

 

She has an idea though, time to test if it is true. “You say that you want to leave your mark, so then why are you taking a back seat to the destruction? Shouldn’t you be the one to launch the satellite? Or is it that you can’t? Because you’re just a tool as well.” 

 

For the first time that night, Ahn Hyoseob loses his composure. Chaewon thinks that she hit pretty close to the mark. 

 

“What are you talking about?” he growls menacingly.

 

“You don’t have the launch key. You and maybe even all of Carnage are being used. The mastermind is someone else.” she might be pushing it a bit but she had to find out. It may be the key to stopping all of this madness. 

 

“I do have the key, you foolish brat!” Ahn Hyoseob impulsively pulls out the chip Chaewon saw that night, except this time, it has a receptor attached to the top. “And I’ll prove it.” Before she could react, he pressed the button on the receptor and laughs maniacally. 

 

...But nothing happens. Chaewon’s heart is beating fast from the adrenaline but now she knows she is right. Ahn Hyoseob is not the true mastermind. He doesn’t even hold the correct key. Whoever gave him the fake probably didn’t trust him.

 

“What?” Ahn Hyoseob frantically presses the button on his key, expecting the satellite to come out of the ocean and launch into the sky. Suddenly, they both hear a beep activate inside the office space. 

 

Ahn Hyoseob whirls around to find the source and sees a camera light flashing. Chaewon’s mask sends her a warning that a bomb has been activated. The shutters close down, completely encasing them inside the office. The burly man attempts to punch a hole in the shutter but it only dents it. He tries again and again but it still doesn’t budge. 

 

“You fucking rat!” he screams wildly to the camera, “You set me up!” 

 

Chaewon swings onto the ceiling and locates the bomb. To her horror, there is only 5 minutes left on the timer. She shoots out as much web as possible in an effort to contain the impending explosion. She knows it won't do much but she needs time to escape. She shoots another web on the ceiling and uses it as a momentum arm to swing her legs against the shutters with more force. Her computer shows her that it will be possible to break in 10 large arc swings. 

 

She manages to get to 9 swings before she hears Ahn Hyoseob’s sadistic laughter again, “Let’s play one last game, Spidy.” He opens a hidden door behind him and drags out a familiar woman. It’s Shin Miyeon, Yujin’s mother. 

 

“Hyoseob, what is happening?” She asks as she embraces the tall man. 

 

“I’ll tell you who the true leader of Carnage is, but in exchange, you must leave this woman here. You’re not strong enough to pull her away from me if I’m really trying. So Spidy, what are you going to do? Escape on your own or save this defenseless woman? Are you going to repeat what you did all those months ago? At the lab where you left them all to die in the fire?”

 

Chaewon’s body begins to shake at the memories from that time. The smell of burning flesh and the sound of numerous screams have haunted her every waking moment. But she won’t make the same mistakes. She will win over Carnage this time, she swears it, she has to. Steeling herself, she shoots out another web to attach to the woman in his arms and tugs. 

 

“No! Let me go! Hyoseob! I want to be with Hyoseob!” the woman screams and cries hysterically, holding on tightly to the man’s body. Ahn Hyoseob, on the other hand, sits on the ground and laughs his soul out. He is amused by the turn of events that he doesn’t even care about the fact that he is about to die. He does nothing to keep the woman in his grip, as promised.

 

“Ahahahaha! You choose this worthless life over saving millions?!”

 

Chaewon clenches her teeth and tugs as hard as she can, ignoring that man’s taunts, “You’ll die if you stay here!”

 

“I don't care! I want to be with Hyoseob!”

 

“Fuck, what about Yu--your family?!” The woman refuses to be pulled away. And Chaewon seriously debates just leaving her there but then she thinks about Yujin’s hopelessness in her eyes. They were so full of fear and hurt and it made Chaewon want to punch whoever put that look on the younger’s face. 

 

_ No, I can’t let anyone else around me die. Not if I can still do something.  _

 

The beep on the bomb gets louder, and her mask indicates that there is 30 seconds left. With that in mind, Chaewon musters all of her strength and tugs, launching her feet to swing towards the shutters one last time. 

 

She feels the shutters give way and another weight come towards her, catching the body in her arms. She doesn’t look back as she freefalls with Yujin’s mother in her arms. 

 

The top floor explodes in flames and smoke.

 

\--

 

-Chaewon’s POV-

 

I drag my tired body back to Wonyoung’s house. I dropped off Yujin’s mother back in her home. She had fainted during the fall and I tried my best to protect her from the explosion. The heat burned through my suit and now I was feeling lightheaded.

 

But I had to get back home. I didn't want to worry them anymore. I’ll just patch myself up in the restroom, get rid of the evidence, and be on my merry way. Easier said than done. I’d scoff if I still had the energy for it. At least the camouflage function still works except it doesn’t cover the parts that got burned up. 

 

Seeing the house in the distance, I speed up to make the final stretch. I land on the backyard patio and swing inside through the kitchen window I left open earlier. My feet make contact with the ground but in that moment, I feel my world turn. Grabbing onto the nearest object to keep myself upright, my strength saps away from my body. 

 

Man, I am just so tired...it would be okay to close my eyes for a second, right? I’m back home in my safe place…

 

I lay my head down on the ground and close my eyes, promising to sleep for just 10 minutes.

 


	6. Interlude: When we were Younger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the past from Minjoo's perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come chat and ask questions on my curiouscat @Loonateaa!

-Minjoo’s POV-

Two years ago:

 

“Chaaaaeeee...” I whined while holding onto Chaewon’s arm. She wanted to experience the haunted house at our school. The seniors put together the haunted house to fundraise for future events. But I really didn't want to go inside so I pulled out my best weapon against the older girl: puppy eyes.

 

I pout my lips and enlargen my eyes, watering them slightly for extra effect. Chae glances away, avoiding making eye contact with me. Her ear turns an adorable shade of pink, peeking out from her curtain of hair. I slide our hands together and interlock our fingers, tugging on them to move us the opposite way from the haunted house entrance.

 

“C’mon, Minjoo. Even the scaredy cat duo YenYul are going to attempt it. It probably isn’t even that scary; it’s a haunted house on budget.” Chae tried her best to convince me to go and really, I can’t say no when she’s asking me like that. I just know I’m going to regret it. It’s no secret that I am a coward when it comes to horror.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand the whole way. And if any ghosts come out, I’ll punch them back to the afterlife.” Chae says as she kisses the back of my hand. And just like that, my fate is sealed.

 

As we walk through, I could hear the screams from the people ahead of us, particularly from Yena and Yuri. The darkness and the feeling of something crawling up my leg causes me to scream loudly and bury my face in Chaewon’s shoulder. She chuckles and kicks whatever was touching me away.

 

“It’s not even scary, coward.” Chaewon teases. I would retort but I’m too scared to lift my head, pretty much reinforcing her point. I’m just thankful that none of our friends are here. They would probably record me and use it for blackmail, like the great friends they are. Although, I am tempted to catch up to YenYul just so I could get some blackmail material myself…but on the other hand, I would have to let go of Chaewon’s warm body. Definitely a big no.

 

Chaewon continues to walk, pulling me forward with her. She occasionally stops for the jump scares but doesn’t actually flinch or anything. It makes me wonder how did she become so brave. When I think about it, Chaewon doesn’t fear anything or at least anything that I know of. She doesn’t even get surprised by someone sneaking up on her. Once, when we were kids, playing hide-and-seek, I tried to sneak up on her but she turned around and surprised me instead, causing me to slip and fall on the ground. Luckily, Chaewon had excellent reflexes even at 7 years old and saved me from a horrible fall.

 

Finally, we made it to the end of the haunted house in one piece. 

 

“That wasn’t so bad.” I say and hear Yena calling me out on my bullshit. 

 

“Eyyy, we saw how you were clinging onto Chaewon, you big baby!” I swipe at Yena to get her to shut up but she dodges.

 

“Alright kids, break it up.” Chaewon says, exasperated. She grabs my hand to prevent me from attempting the murder of a duck and interlocks our fingers together. My face heats up and our friends laugh. Chaewon was really out to embarrass me.

 

“Okay, lovebirds, no need to rub in how cute you guys are~” Not Yuri too. I blush even harder and turn over to see Chaewon with a light blush on her face too.

 

“W-we’re n-not-” I try to explain but is cut off by Yena excitedly talking about going to the Celeb Cafe for dinner.

 

Chaewon just gives me a shrug and an exasperated smile, tilting her head in the direction of the exit, telling me to just roll with it.

 

\--

 

( I think, in many ways, I have always taken Chaewon’s strength for granted. She was just...there. It wasn’t smothering by any means. It was like a safety blanket embodied in a person. It was warm. It was constant. It was so her. 

 

And I didn’t realize how much I depended on it back then, until it was no longer there. )

 

\--

 

We laid on the grass of my backyard on top of a picnic mat. Chaewon was beside me with her arms behind her head. It was a breezy night out, perfect for stargazing. Except we live in the middle of a metropolis and stars are hard to see in the city. 

 

“You know, when you said let’s do some stargazing, I thought you really meant stargazing. Not laying down on the dirty floor in the middle of the polluted city.” Chaewon jokes with a mischievous glint in her eyes. I whine in response, knowing that she was teasing me because I was looking forward to this all week. It was a long week for the both of us, with school work swamping our schedules. 

 

I throw my right arm over her and snuggle into her neck, inhaling her calming mint scent. “I thought that the sky was going to be relatively clear tonight...but the clouds decided to be a bunch of jerks.” I can’t help but pout. Chaewon laughs out loud, her whole body shifting mine along with it. 

 

“Dork.” She says, fond. Her arms unwound from behind her head. One snakes under my head to support it and the other tugs me closer. Now we were both facing each other, just gazing into the other’s eyes. 

 

“There might not be stars out right now, but--” I slap my hand over her mouth, preventing her from completing that sentence. I can tell my face has already gone red though.

 

“Chae, please don’t. Yena unnie has infected you with her cheesy pick up lines.” Chaewon laughs again, this time with no restraint. While I was embarrassed, I was also happy to see her so joyful. She doesn’t express herself that often so I considered it to be a privilege to be able to make her laugh like that. 

 

“I was going to say that at least the weather is agreeable. But I guess you were hoping for something else?” Chaewon bounces her eyebrows up and down, teasing me. 

 

“Chaeeeeeee.” I cover my face with my hands in embarrassment. I really dug a hole for myself on that one. She chuckles, bringing my hands down from my face and placing hers on my head. Her hand runs gently through my hair, nearly lulling me to sleep. The moonlight shone down on both of us, in a mysterious, illuminating light. 

 

After sufficiently calming down, we stare at each other in silence. It was not awkward or uncomfortable between the two of us. We’ve always had a unique connection that we don't share with our other friends.  Even though we had been separated as children and reunited again in high school, Chaewon puts me at ease, even during my hardest moments. The joy, affection, and maybe even love, that I feel when I am around her is like no other. 

 

Smiling ever so gently at me, Chaewon brings her head closer so that both of us are touching by our foreheads. “Hey, Minjoo?” I hum in response. Her eyes up close were so pretty, like they held the entire universe in them, and I was just a wanderer floating about in it.

 

“What do you think the future is going to be like for us?”

 

“Are we really going to have the cliche talk about our futures while stargazing moment?” I joke, breaking the moment between us. Chaewon breaks out into a smile but confirms it anyways.

 

“...My parents brought up attending specialty schools. But I have no idea what I want to do.”

 

“Maybe something you like?”

 

“I’m...not sure what I like.” The smile was no longer on her face but she continued to make eye contact with me.

 

“You’ll be fine though. You’re smart so you can probably do whatever you want in the future.” I reassure, placing my hand on her face to rub at her soft cheeks. She averts her gaze to look at the night sky.

 

Chaewon opens and closes her mouth, as if she were hesitating on something, before settling with, “Maybe. What about you, Minjoo?” She deflects the question back to me.

 

I think on it for a while but came up with a blank. “To be honest, I’m not sure. Academic-wise, I have no direction, but life-wise...well, I hope you’ll still be in it, Chae. That’s what I hope for the most.” I tell her honestly. It was really what I was sure of, nothing else. She seemed surprised but quickly softened.

 

“Me too.” she says quietly.

 

\--

  
  


( Looking back on it, I wished I had taken that conversation more seriously. It was the first time I had seen uncertainty in Chaewon, though I didn't realize it at that moment. To my younger self, Chaewon was a perfect human being, capable of anything and everything, including being by my side, always. She was like a hero that would always protect me and comfort me when I needed it most. My immature self was so caught up in my feelings for her that I couldn't see past the rosy-colored glasses.

 

But in many ways, I was probably suffocating her, trapping her in that “perfect” persona that she placed pressure on herself to be perfect for me. 

 

She’d probably been trying to tell me something in that moment, but held back, and now I can only regret it. 

 

If I had known that the pressure I placed on her, unconsciously or not, would hurt her the way it did now, I would do anything to go back in time to fix it. To tell her that she didn't have to be perfect. To tell her that she was allowed to live, to feel, the way she wanted for herself, first and foremost. To tell her that I would accept all facets of her, so that she would never have to feel ashamed of herself. 

 

To tell her that she doesn’t need to be a hero. 

 

That all she needed to be was Chaewon.)

  
  



	7. Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited.

“Chaewon, wake up. You’re going to be late for school.”  _ Five more minutes mom.  _

 

“Wonnie. Wake up.”  _ Dad, please. I was up studying late last night. Can’t I miss school today? I’ll come in extra early for training today to make up for it. Promise. _

 

“Make up for it? How will you do that?”  _ Dad? _

 

“You can’t make it up to us.”  _ Mom? What’s wrong? What do you mean? _

 

“You can’t, Chae.”  _ Minjoo?! What are you doing in my room? _

 

_ She ignores me _ , “You can’t. Because they are already dead. Thanks to you.” 

 

_...What? _

 

_ Suddenly, I am falling into the dark abyss. _

\--

 

Minjoo, Wonyoung, and Yujin take a step back when Chaewon jolts up from bed, screaming and getting off to get as far from them as possible. The redhead is quivering and sweating. Her breaths come out in short, desperate bursts. Her hands come up to block her ears, eyes shut tightly. She slides down onto the floor by the window, curling in on herself. 

 

“Chae--” Minjoo starts but is interrupted.

 

“LEAVE! PLEASE! I-I-I...I can't ...I...killed ...don’t look at me...” Chaewon was clearly very agitated and in a panic. It was the first time that they’d witness such a violent attack and it scared them, not because they were in danger, but because the older girl was in pain.

 

Minjoo ushers the two kids out, “Let’s not crowd her. I’ll do my best to calm her down, okay?” They were hesitant but ultimately decided to listen to Minjoo, as she is probably the only person able to bring Chaewon back to them. They had to believe in her. 

 

Closing the door behind her, Minjoo sees that Chaewon hasn’t moved from her position in the far side of the room. Her head was downcast in between her knees. Minjoo deflates. The older girl was getting better these days but this was a huge step back.

 

“Why haven’t you left yet?” Chaewon asks, her voice cracking. And Minjoo feels something in her crack with it. 

 

“I’m not leaving you Chae. I promise.” Minjoo sits down on the floor directly across from the older girl. She turns around though, facing the door. “I won’t look and I won’t bother you. I’ll just be here.”

 

Minjoo hears Chaewon take a shaky breath. “Why? I don’t deserve it.” Minjoo clenches her fist at hearing Chaewon self-depreciate herself. 

 

“You do. You...were always so strong for me when I was feeling down. I want to be stronger and reliable, for you, too. Because I care about you.” Minjoo rests her head on her knees as she says this, somehow feeling both strong and vulnerable in this moment. 

 

“When you were hurt, I didn't comfort you either. You said that you were a shitty friend but the truth is that I didn't try hard enough for you either. I even blamed you at one point. I didn't want to admit it, but I thought only of myself and the pain I was going through. But you were in more pain and yet, you thought of me before yourself.” 

 

When Minjoo thinks of how lonely Chaewon was, her heart twists in a painful way. Her uselessness wasn’t ever an issue for her when she was younger but now, nearly being an adult, she can only curse herself for not growing up sooner, for not being able to see the pain in Chaewon’s eyes fast enough. It was frustrating. She wants to convey her feelings to her now and she hopes the older girl is listening.

 

“I must’ve pushed you so much into a corner and you, being so kind and selfless, let me without complaining. We both hurt each other in ways that we didn't understand until it was too late.” Minjoo can feel her throat tighten up and tears filling her eyes. She was supposed to be comforting Chaewon in this situation. 

 

But here she was, about to cry her eyes out, for the person that she loved and pained the most in this world. 

 

“I’m sorry too, Chae.” Suddenly, a body collides into hers, with Chaewon’s face buried into her back and her arms around Minjoo’s waist. Minjoo’s tears finally fall when she feels the back of her hoodie getting wet too.

 

They both sit there, weeping at the time that they’ve lost, at the people that they’ve hurt, and at the regrets they’ve been holding in their hearts.

 

30 minutes passed when Minjoo decides to turn around with her eyes closed, scared of the possible rejection but also because she wants to respect Chaewon. Instead, she feels. Her hand touches at the older until she reaches her face to hold it. Minjoo could feel the wet tracks on her cheeks and her gasps for breath. It was the first time Minjoo had ever seen (felt) Chaewon cry and Minjoo hopes that it will be her last. Minjoo just rubs at her cheeks, wiping the tears off and providing comfort.

 

The smell of smoke and fire began to dissipate, giving way to something new. It was like the moon rising in the afternoon, providing respite to Chaewon’s sun-burned soul. She felt like she could breathe after wandering in her dream-like reality. Chaewon never knew that breathing could feel like the beginning of forgiveness (or was it the other way around? Either way, Chaewon is okay with it.).

 

“Open your eyes, Minjoo.” the younger does just that and the first thing she sees relieves her. Hope was staring straight at her. She brings her other hand to cup both sides of Chaewon’s face bringing their foreheads together. Hope was beginning to blossom in her chest.

 

And Minjoo is nothing but sincere, ardently hoping for it to reach Chaewon, “We’re going to be okay, Chae.” 

 

Chaewon’s lips tilt up slightly and even with her bloodshot eyes, messed up hair, and bandages littering her body, Minjoo looks at her like she’s looking at her entire world, engraving this moment in her soul forever.

 

“Yeah, we’re going to be okay.” Chaewon repeats it like a mantra, like a prayer. Minjoo believes her. The hope in her chest goes into full bloom.

 

\--

 

Wonyoung was seriously debating on breaking down that room door when an hour had past and there was no sign of either of her unnies. Yujin can worry about the hole Wonyoung was about to burn into the floor with her excessive pacing. Yujin pulls the younger to sit down on the couch and is about to tell her to calm down.

 

“Unnie!” Wonyoung jumps off the couch when she sees Chaewon step out of the room with Minjoo supporting her on her side. Wonyoung can’t even begin to describe the immense relief that floods her when Chaewon gives her a crooked smile. 

 

“Hey, Wonyo, Yujinnie.” Both of the tall babies burst out into tears after hearing their nicknames come out of the older girl’s mouth. She was going to be okay and that’s all that mattered. They took a seat on the couch, giving Chaewon the most space to accommodate her injuries. 

 

“I’m sorry guys. I must have scared you, coming back home the way that I did.” Chaewon wonders when did it become so easy to refer to this place as home. Or maybe it wasn’t this place per say, it was the people with her, that made her feel at home. 

 

All three nod. They were surprised to find Spiderwoman in their house when they woke up with burns littering her body. Yujin was partially excited at the prospect of unmasking the hero but Minjoo was more hesitant. She remembered when Spiderwoman was in her home getting treated and refused to take off her mask. But then Wonyoung pointed out that she was having difficulty breathing in that mask. So they ultimately made the decision to take it off, promising to not tell anyone of who they see.

 

The shock they got when they saw Chaewon’s face was unlike any they’ve ever had in their entire lives. It wore off quickly when they realized that they needed to treat her injuries before she bled out. The redhead’s temperature was high, indicating that a fever was coming on, probably due to the heat and blood loss she received from the burns. Minjoo could also see the previous injuries that she treated before, proving to her that Chaewon really was the same Spiderwoman. 

 

It somehow made sense though. Wonyoung knew that Chaewon liked to leave the house at night but she never questioned it, not wanting to invade her privacy. And, that meant that she saved her during the school shooting. Minjoo, on the other hand, came to a realization that Chaewon pulled away and blamed herself for her parents’ death. At first, Minjoo couldn't fathom why Chaewon was afraid to be near her but now knowing who she was, it all fell into place.

 

Minjoo was confused. She wasn’t sure what to feel at this revelation. But looking at Chaewon from her perch on her bedside as she slept, Minjoo just wanted to tell her that she doesn’t need to be sorry. She was only one person, after all. Chaewon’s psyche was deeply scarred after that incident and Minjoo finally understood. It took her a long time, but she understood now, and that was what counted. 

 

“Are you guys mad at me?” Chaewon asks meekly. She looked like a child about to get scolded for eating cookies at night when she was actually the oldest among them. The other three relaxed, tension draining from their shoulders.

 

With a small smile, Wonyoung places her hand on top of Chaewon’s head, “No, but we were pretty worried about you.” Her statement was vague but Chaewon knew better. She was just beating around the bush.

 

So Chaewon decided to cut right to the chase, “You guys know right? Who I am.” They nod at her. She observes their expressions and doesn’t see anything negative.

 

“If anything, we’re more scared for you. You’re out there doing dangerous things while we sit here, safe and sound.” Yujin sits in front of Chaewon on the floor to get a better look at the older. “I went back home this morning because my mom called me. She was...hysterical to say the least.” Yujin shivers at the memory of what she saw when she opened the door to her home.

 

Her mother was destroying the furniture in their house. Glass and cotton were scattered everywhere. Pictures and decorations were torn from their places. Her mother was tearing her hair out, screaming Ahn Hyoseob’s name. Yujin also heard her cursing out Spiderwoman in her instability. Yujin was afraid that her mother would hurt herself further and had no choice but to call an ambulance so that they could restrain her. She called her step dad to come back and be with her mother in the hospital. 

 

“You saved her, didn't you? The news was reporting an explosion in some building last night and my mom had some burns.” Yujin asks. 

 

“Yeah.” Chaewon coughs a bit and Minjoo gets up to get her a glass of water. After taking a big gulp, Chaewon continues, “Ahn Hyoseob was there last night. Along with your mother, Yujin.” They gasp in shock. Ahn Hyoseob was there in the flesh and Chaewon had encountered him alone. He was known to be extremely dangerous and rumors often tell of how he brutally killed police officers that got in his way. 

 

“Yujin, I think you were right. Shin Miyeon probably helped him escape. She was there and I had to pull her away from him before the building caught on fire.” At the mention of fire, Chaewon’s hands shook. Minjoo caught sight of it and gently held one of her hands. “He was still in that building when it exploded so I’m not sure what happened to him.”

 

“Thank you, unnie. For saving my mom. She may have not wanted it, but you saved her life.” Yujin says sincerely, holding Chaewon’s free hand in hers. Chaewon gives her a small smile, feeling like she made the right choice for once. Her hands had saved someone.

 

“I’m surprised that you guys are taking this rather well. But anyways, guys, there is something you have to know.” Chaewon straightens up as best as she could with her current injuries and addresses them seriously, “Carnage is still out there and they are planning something very big and dangerous. I want you guys to know because I think that arming you with that knowledge may save your life. Please leave the country.”

 

Immediately, Chaewon could see the protest in their eyes. They wanted to help her somehow, to return what she had given them. So they tell her just that. 

 

“Unnie, it’s not fair! Why are you always shifting the burden onto yourself?” Wonyoung looks upset. 

 

“Fairness has nothing to do with this. You could get hurt, or worse...” Chaewon didn't need to finish the sentence to imply death and Wonyoung knew it. “Besides, this isn’t a fight you shouldn’t involve yourselves with. I want you guys to leave the country. I can arrange a place for you if you can’t. Please, for my peace of mind.”

 

“Chae, I...you...I thought you weren’t going to push us away?” The worry in Minjoo’s voice prompted the other two kids to nod their heads vigorously in agreement. 

 

Chaewon softens, “I’m not. But I have to stop them. And I don't want you guys getting caught in the cross-fire, should I fail.”

 

\--

-Chaewon’s POV-

 

“ _ Chaewon, I hacked into a few databases. _ ” is the first thing I hear when I pick up the phone.

 

“From the Blue House, I presume?”

 

“ _ No comment. Anyways, the launch will take place on New Years at 12 AM on the dot, though I can’t say I am surprised. I guess even hidden villains have a flair for the dramatic. It will be done over the Seo Lake. _ ”

 

“Damn. That doesn’t leave us a lot of time to find out where the key is. You know where it’s going to launch?”

 

“ _ Yeah. But listen, I have a plan that may buy us some time to find the key and the blueprints. I can distribute some articles online over social media, raising some doubts about the satellite. We’ve got the footage from your mask, although it’s potato quality, but it might get the job done. _ ”

 

“At this point, I’ll need all the help I can get. Let’s do it. We have nothing to lose. Don't get caught though.”

 

“ _ Of course, who do you think you’re talking to? _ ” Hina says haughtily. I could imagine her flipping her hair over her shoulder to make her point.

 

“Well...who exactly am I talking to? I’ve never seen your face before.” I raise my eyebrows, not that she could see it anyways.

 

“ _ Now now, I didn't survive this long in the business by giving away my identity. _ ” I laugh at that. Well, as long as she keeps helping me, I have no issues keeping her identity a secret. No one even knows that Spiderwoman has someone helping from the outside. 

 

“Speaking of identity, some of my friends found out about me.”

 

“ _ I figured, after you arrived back home, your mask indicated that you were no longer conscious. And then it went offline after that _ .”

 

“Hina, they...they’re okay with it.”

 

“ _ Told you so. _ ” came her quick reply.

 

“But I want you to help arrange a place for them to fly out before the New Years arrive.”

 

“ _ They’re not happy about, right? _ ”

 

“No, they aren’t. But just in case. I want them to be safe.”

\--

 

I’ll admit, Hina was right about them accepting me as Spiderwoman. But what I bet she didn't anticipate was an annoying big dog that came with the revelation.

 

Said annoying big dog was currently wagging her metaphorical tail as she trails me around the house. 

 

“So how does your webbing work? How strong is it? Where does it come from?” Yujin gasps dramatically while I roll my eyes, “Oh my god, does it come from your saliva?”

 

I nearly spit out the water I have in my mouth, “What?! No! And why are you following me?” I look to Minjoo for help, since Yujin tended to listen to her for whatever reason. Minjoo shrugs and shoots me an apologetic look from her position by the stove. She was making some omelets for me since I said I was hungry after sleeping for so long. Wonyoung laughs at the stupid questions Yujin asks.

 

“Because! This is so cool! What else can you do?” Yujin is far more excited now. I sigh and shake my head, feeling tempted to smack my head on the counter. 

 

I guess it wouldn’t hurt to indulge in Yujin’s nerdiness. “I have enhanced strength, though it’s not crazy like Superman or anything. I still work out to keep in shape and raise my stamina.” I could already feel the regret sink in, “And...I’ve got spider senses.”

 

As expected, Yujin got really excited by that last one and proceeded to try and jump-scare me, which didn’t work, obviously. Instead, I caught her wrists and scared her. Yujin jumps up and down and Wonyoung has to pull on her hand to restrain her.

 

“Unnie, I’m sorry that Yujinnie is such an idiot.” Wonyoung bows her head, forcing Yujin to do the same. I laugh and tell them that it’s okay. I take a seat on the dining table to rest my injured leg on another chair.

 

“Wait, is that why when we were kids, I could never sneak up on you?” Minjoo asks me as she places the cooked omelets on a plate in front of me. The aroma made my stomach growl. She gives me utensils and I dig in as if I hadn’t eaten for years.

 

Minjoo pats the back of my head, telling me to slow down before I choke. Across the table, I see two giant babies drooling over my omelet. Smiling, I hand the plate over to them.

 

“Chae, aren’t you hungry?” I hear Minjoo from the seat next to me. 

 

“Make me and the kids another one?” I request with a slight quirk of my lips. Wonyoung and Yujin are inhaling the plate, nearly fighting over who gets the last piece. I shake my head in disbelief, wondering how they are even dating in the first place. 

 

Minjoo gets up to make another plate. 

 

Wiggling her eyebrows up and down, Yujin teases me, “Oh? We’re your kids now? Should we call you and Minjoo unnie mama and papa?” I choke on the water I was drinking, prompting Wonyoung to round the table to pat my back. My face is on fire at this point. Damn that Yujin and her mischievous ways. 

 

“T-that’s not what I meant!” I try to explain but Yujin waves me off with her hand. 

 

“Anyways, Hyewon unnie called earlier to ask if we will be attending her Christmas party. Will you come unnie?” The two kids give me puppy eyes in complete sync. Ugh, if they do that, how am I supposed to say no?

 

“...does she even want me there?” I ask to make sure I’m not unwanted there. That would be very awkward. We may be cousins but Hyewon and I haven’t spoken in a while. I was never really that close to her due to training. We only really began talking because we attend the same school and have mutual friend groups.

 

“Yeah! She said it was okay. So, will you?” Wonyoung looks at me, hopeful. 

 

I don't even hesitate to agree. After having that moment with Minjoo, I realized how much time I wasted being stuck in my head. It was hard to get out of that mindset but now that I have, I want to make for that lost time. I plan on stopping God’s Eye from launching and who knows if I will even succeed.  The least I can do for the people I care about is make them as happy as I can before that time comes. For it may be my last moments with them.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a lot with how to reveal Spiderwoman but I think I'm happy with what I chose. Sometimes, a big dramatic reveal isnt the best route, especially given the tone of my story. 
> 
> Comment down below and let me know what you think of the story so far!


	8. Days to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end.

-7 Days until launch-

 

They arrived at Hyewon’s house, already seeing a bunch of cars parked out front. Luckily, Chaewon’s injures were healing at such a fast rate that she was able to move again after 2 days of rest. Of course, Minjoo fussed over her anyways. Even better, the protests on the streets seemed to have died down and Hina’s plan was taking root. Things were going to get crazy but Chaewon was content to spend the last few days with her friends.

 

“Chae, do you plan on telling our other friends?” Minjoo’s eyebrows are furrowed in worry. Chaewon might seem okay on the exterior but she knew better. Chaewon was always good at hiding her emotions.

 

Chaewon lets out a heavy sigh, “No. The less people know, the better. But enough of that, let’s go inside before it snows too much.” Chaewon smiles as she opens the car door and makes her way inside her cousin’s house with Minjoo, Yujin, and Wonyoung.

 

The first person Chaewon encounters is her cousin. “Hey, cousin. Been a while.” Hyewon looks hesitant to approach Chaewon, like she is going to disappear any second. Sensing her apprehension, Chaewon gives a crooked smile and opens her arms for a hug. Immediately, Hyewon clings onto her cousin, holding on for dear life. Tears soak the hoodie that Chaewon has on but she can’t bring herself to push her cousin away. After all, it was rare for Hyewon to show her emotions so openly. So Chaewon just lets her cry as much as she wants. 

 

Yena, Yuri, Sakura, and Eunbi watch as the two embrace, noticing Chaewon’s hands quiver as she grips onto the back of Hyewon’s sweater. It warms them to know that even though Chaewon is not completely okay, she does her best to comfort Hyewon.

 

Silent tears are still flowing when Hyewon pulls back. Chaewon chuckles lowly and brings her hand up to wipe at her face. She grabs the bag that was placed by her side to hand to Hyewon.

 

“Got you a gift. It’s a PS4 for you and Sakura. I know you both love to play.” Hyewon accepts the gift and ushers them to the dining room. The others don't get the chance to hug or speak to Chaewon but get a small smile from her. It was enough for them. Chaewon would come to them at her own pace. 

 

\--

 

-6 Days until launch-

 

“Are you serious?!” Eunbi exclaims from across the table. Chaewon and Minjoo wince at her loud voice and some customers looks their way to the commotion. 

 

“Pipe down, will you?” Eunbi apologizes softly and lowers her voice. 

 

“But are you sure? This must have been very expensive to put together. I mean, a 1 week stay in Japan in one of the best hotels for all of us can’t possibly be cheap, Chaewon.” To say Eunbi was surprised was an understatement. Chaewon had contacted her to meet at her family cafe and proposed that they all go on a trip to Japan on New Years. Chaewon even invited her parents. Even better, it was all free for them, no strings attached.

 

“It is but don’t worry, I got a good price for everything. If you feel really bad about this, how about you just go and then pay me back later? I already reserved everything. It would be a waste to let it go now.” Really, Hina was the one to arrange everything. Getting last-minute reservations and booking a private jet would have been a near impossible feat with the holidays in place, but Hina managed to do it. Chaewon learned long ago not to question her IT expert’s methods and just rolls with it now. Now, she just had to convince everyone to go.

 

“Please, unnie. I just want to make up for everything.” Now, Chaewon always had a very cute face, not that she would use it in such a way. But here she was, unleashing her secret weapon, the puss-in-boots cat eyes (Chaewon wasn’t much of a dog person) to get Eunbi to agree. Minjoo was squealing internally at how cute Chaewon was acting. Or so she thought. Because the next thing she knew, her arms were wrapped around the older girl’s neck and her face was squished against hers.

 

Eunbi literally had no strength to say no after seeing that. Plus, it was cute to see how red Chaewon got from Minjoo cooing at her. They really are a good match for each other. 

 

\--

 

-5 Days until launch-

 

Chaewon watched in awe as Yuri sang beautifully about first loves on stage. The audience was just as enraptured as she was, especially a certain ducky. Chaewon peeked over to look at the older girl and had to stifle her laughter at the love-struck look on Yena’s face. 

 

Soon enough, the show came to an end and the audience got up to exit the auditorium. 

 

“C’mon, we can go see Yuri backstage!” Yena was eager to see her girlfriend, bouncing in place. 

 

Chaewon grabbed Yena’s arm to stop her from bouncing around and chuckled at the silly girl, “Alright, calm down. She isn’t going anywhere.” They walked over to the hallway where the singers were packing up their stuff. 

 

Spotting the hamster-like girl, Yena runs up to her and picks her up, spinning her around for a few turns. Yuri’s husky laughter filled up the hallway and the onlookers grin and shake their heads, used to Yena’s overexcited way of showing her love. The two share a kiss before separating. Chaewon hands Yuri a flower bouquet to congratulate her.

 

“That was amazing, Yuri.” Chaewon compliments. Yuri smiles bashfully, still not used to the compliments she receives for her singing. Especially coming from Chaewon.

 

“Thanks, Chaewon unnie. Also, thanks for coming. I know you were too busy to make it yesterday.” 

 

Yena helps Yuri gather up her things faster, eager to go to dinner. The group of friends step outside into the cold night air. 

 

“You sure you don’t want a ride to the restaurant?” Yuri shakes her head. 

 

“It’s only a short walk away, Chaewon unnie. We’ll be fine. This ducky here will protect me.” Yuri jokes as she adjusts the scarf on Yena’s neck to better protect her from the cold wind. Their hands slide together and they walk off in the opposite direction from Chaewon’s car. 

 

“We’ll see you later, Chae!” 

 

Chaewon watches their retreating back for a while, not wanting to forget any moment she spends with the endearing couple. Chaewon remembers how these two always had something between them and it was frustrating to watch as they danced around their feelings. Thankfully, Yuri woman-ed up and confessed first and now they are a happy couple. The redhead notices the couple stop at a street lamp to face each other.

 

It amazed her how Yena can be a bit immature for an unnie but in this moment, Yena displays no signs of that immaturity as she gazes into Yuri’s eyes. Only love and affection can be seen between them. Even from afar, Chaewon can see how much they love and care for each other. 

 

And she wonders if she will ever get to have that sort of love with a certain brunette. 

 

\--

 

-4 Days until launch-

 

“ _ Found the blueprints. The lasers are mounted on the interior on the sides of the satellite. _ ”

 

“Is it safe to destroy?”

 

“ _ Well, since it’s being held in a maximum security location that I doubt even you could infiltrate easily, your best bet if you can’t find the launch key would be to let it launch out first. _ ”

 

“What?”

 

“ _ Once it’s out of the water, the security measures would activate and any foreign objects obstructing it would open the hatch and the lasers would be exposed. You can destroy them then. I sent you a chip to put into the suit. It will give EMP shockwave capabilities to your gloves though the body of the satellite resists EMP waves. But the lasers will be put out of commission. _ ”

 

“But wouldn’t it be flying as I attempt to get the lasers off? If I can’t get them off quick enough, the high altitude will suffocate me. Plus, the body of the satellite will still make it to space.”

 

“ _ I will have the satellite anchored down as you do your thing. The only problem I am concerned with is whether the anchors can overcome the thrusters. If we can do that, then the satellite will fall back into the water. I’ll send you some high-strength webbing I developed. There’s a limited quantity so use them to help pull the body back down. _ ”

 

“It’s all we got to work with I guess.”

 

“ _ Let’s hope you find that key so that it doesn’t come to this. _ ”

 

\--

 

-3 Days until launch-

 

“Yujin, this is seriously an abuse of my abilities, don’t you think?” Spider webs were strewn about in the living room, attached to popcorn bowls, bags of chips, cups filled with soda. The two were seated on the couch, ready to have a movie marathon. 

 

“But unnie, if you do this, we won’t have to get up for anything! All of it will be within our fingertips! Literally, for you.”

 

Chaewon looks just about done with Yujin. In fact, Minjoo and Wonyoung snap a picture of Chaewon scowling like a grumpy cat while stifling their laughter. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” she grumbles.

 

Yujin nudges the redhead on the side, “Come on now, the movie isn’t going to play itself.” The remote was deliberately placed on the highest shelf in the living room by Yujin herself. She knew that everyone was going to be too lazy to try and get it so it was up to Chaewon to use her webs. Chaewon sighs at the hopeful look the other three girls give her. 

 

She shoots out a web to bring the remote straight into her hands. The gremlin next to her had the audacity to cheer. Chaewon has half a mind to strangle Yujin but stops that line of thought when Minjoo slides their hands together under the blanket they were sharing.

 

Well, this was nice, too.

 

\--

 

-2 Days until launch-

 

Minjoo settled into the space on the right side of the bed. Chaewon was already laying there, eyes half closed. As soon as Minjoo was settled, Chaewon pulls her into an embrace and puts the covers over them. 

 

“I didn’t know you were such a cuddly bear, Chae.” Minjoo teases in the dark. Chaewon grunts but snuggles closer to Minjoo’s neck, tickling the girl a bit in the process. 

 

“I sleep better when someone is next to me.” Chaewon mumbles into Minjoo’s neck. 

 

“Yeah? Will this help with your insomnia too? I know you haven’t been sleeping well enough for the past few months.” Minjoo was very concerned when she saw the dark circles under Chaewon’s eyes. They didn't get any better or worse after her identity was revealed but Minjoo has seen Chaewon wander around the house at night when she couldn’t sleep. 

 

Minjoo feels the older girl nod her head. “Feeling sleepy already.” she hears Chaewon say. Minjoo’s hand automatically comes up to run her fingers through Chaewon’s soft, red hair. This was probably the most relaxed Minjoo has ever seen Chaewon.

 

“Hey, Chae?” Minjoo breaks the silence between them, “I’m really proud of you, you know.” Chaewon stops snuggling and pulls back to look at Minjoo properly. “You’ve been making tremendous effort all week for our friends.”

 

Chaewon heard the pride in Minjoo’s voice but she also knew that there was something Minjoo was holding back. “But?” Time to bite the bullet.

 

“But, you’re hiding something. You’ve been pushing for us to leave, for our safety, I know. But the fact that you are pushing for it before January 1st means that something big with Carnage is happening that day. And you aren’t going to come with us, am I right?” It wasn’t spoken with any malice but it was an accusation nonetheless. And with the way Chaewon flinched ever so slightly, Minjoo knew she hit it right on the mark. Still, she continued to stroke Chaewon’s head to dispel any discomfort that may have been brought on by her sudden questioning.

 

Minjoo was a lot sharper than she let on. What happened to the clumsy, oblivious girl she met years ago? Minjoo really was growing up, and for the better, Chaewon thinks. 

 

“Yes. Everything you said was right. In fact, everything that is about to happen, you were right about it from the beginning, Minjoo.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Chaewon takes a deep breath, “God’s Eye is weaponized by Carnage. And I have to stop it no matter what or tons of people will die. I already know a few people who will be targeted and I’m sure it will cause an international crisis if I let it happen.” 

 

Silence. 

 

Minjoo’s eyes widened. Her pupils were trembling. Even in the darkness, Chaewon could see the fear take over the younger girl’s expression. Minjoo closes her eyes briefly and sucks in a breath.

 

Opening her eyes, Chaewon sees an emotion she doesn’t quite understand. It looks a lot like understanding but Chaewon couldn't be sure. “Chae, be completely honest with me, okay?” The redhead gulps and nods her head in agreement. Minjoo was scarily serious right now.

 

“You...you’re going to sacrifice everything, aren’t you?” Chaewon doesn’t respond to that but Minjoo can see that she is already resigned to what Minjoo is implying. “The trip to Japan, you visiting each of our friends, and even the rights to your trust fund that I saw you sign off to Wonyoung, all of it. It’s all in preparation for the fact that you might not survive, right?”

 

At this point Minjoo is no longer laying beside Chaewon. Instead, she’s hovering over her, with one hand on Chaewon’s cheek and the other still stroking her head. The younger feels the older nod ever so slowly under her palm and her heart breaks all over again.

 

“Why, Chae?” Chaewon feels her own heart breaking at the sadness in Minjoo’s voice. She caused her to be sad again, even though she promised herself to make Minjoo as happy as she can. Guess Minjoo’s intuition was something Chaewon could not account for. 

 

“I’m scared.” Chaewon responds as she brings up a hand to grip the one holding her face. “I don’t know what will happen but I wanted to do what I can for you guys.”

 

Minjoo brings her other hand to hold Chaewon’s face in her hands. Her world is in her hands and that world may be gone forever. Her love (Minjoo is no longer afraid of that word) may be going somewhere far away and while Minjoo would follow Chaewon anywhere, the place that Chaewon will be is a place she can’t reach. And that made her incredibly sad. She finally got Chaewon back and now she was going to be taken away from her again.

 

But Minjoo won't sit around and do nothing. Not this time. She’s tired of being useless. Of not being able to protect Chaewon the way the redhead has been protecting her. Of denying her feelings for Chaewon. Minjoo is tired of it all. All she wanted was to live happily from now on, with Chaewon beside her. 

 

“Chae, listen to me carefully, because I might not have the courage to say this again.” Minjoo braces herself, “I want you to live.”

 

Chaewon makes no moves to leave, much to Minjoo’s relief. The younger knows she may be overstepping her bounds right now but she has to make this effort to get through to Chaewon. She absolutely has to. 

 

“I want you to want to live. Not just survive, but to live and be happy.”

 

“...Why?” Chaewon croaks out. The tears are about to fall but she does her best to hold them back. 

 

“Because I love you. I want to spend all of my days next to you. And I want you to want that too. I’m so, so tired of holding back my feelings for you when they’ve been the one thing guiding me back to you.” Minjoo says it so resolutely that it stuns Chaewon. She had her suspicions, even from back then, but to hear it straight from Minjoo simultaneously brings her happiness and sadness. She wonders how can one person make her  _ feel _ so much.

 

“I love you, Chae. Why should that have to be a bad thing?” Minjoo whispers out that last part, ardently praying that she got through to Chaewon. And with the way that Chaewon is looking at her, like Minjoo is her universe, too, Minjoo thinks she succeeded.

 

The tears fall from Chaewon’s eyes but she’s smiling, nodding her head.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

(After that emotional talk, they are about to fall asleep again in each other’s arms when Chaewon realizes something.

 

“Wait Minjoo. I didn't get to say it back-” A finger falls on her lips, interrupting her words. Minjoo smiles at her softly, all of the affection in her eyes makes Chaewon giddy.

 

“Tell me when I come back from Japan.” 

 

_ Live through your mission, and tell me afterwards Chaewon. _ )

 

\--

 

-1 Day until launch-

 

It’s the last day and Chaewon still wasn’t able to find the launch key. Her search ended up fruitless so now all she can do is build up her strength in preparation. Wonyoung had finished packing her bags and was waiting for her uncle to come pick her up and drive her to the airport. Chaewon lied to her other friends that she will be taking the next flight so she hasn’t packed anything yet.

 

“Wonyo, the sandwiches are ready!” Chaewon calls from the bottom of the stairs. A few seconds later, Wonyoung runs down the stairs to eat her dinner. There is a knock on the front door and Chaewon goes to open it. Jang Jongho is standing on the other side, wiping off the excess snow from his coat. 

 

“Hello, sir. Come in for some sandwiches. There’s still some time before the flight.”

 

“Don’t mind if I do.”

 

They walk over to the dining table where a baby bunny is devouring the sandwiches like she hadn’t eaten in days. Jongho takes a seat across from the two girls and grabs a sandwich for himself.

 

“So, Chaewon, I wanted to thank you for taking care of Wonyoung these past few weeks. It’s been crazy and I haven’t been around much for Wonyoung.”

 

“It’s no problem sir.”

 

“Yeah, uncle. I know you have it rough so don’t worry about me. Chaewon unnie takes good care of me.”

 

They continue to enjoy some small talk over dinner until it is time to depart for the airport. Chaewon goes outside to help carry all the luggage. Jongho is next to her by the trunk of the SUV, loading a large suitcase when something slips out of his pocket and clutters under the car.

 

“I got it.” Chaewon ducks under the car to retrieve the thing that slid off. It was thin and plastic with something square on top. When she pulls her hand back to bring it into the light,a shiver runs down her spine. With trembling fingers, she hands it back to Jongho to avoid suspicion.

 

“Thank you, Chaewon. I could have sworn I left it in the car.” Jongho takes it back and closes the trunk. He gets into the driver seat and turns on the engine, waiting for Wonyoung to get in the car.

 

Chaewon immediately goes back inside the house under the pretense of finding Wonyoung. Closing the bathroom door behind her, Chaewon types out on her smart watch, praying that Hina would read the message fast enough.

 

_ The launch key is with Jang Jongho. _

 


	9. Fight for what we Believe in

-Chaewon’s POV- 

 

5 minutes until contact. The mask displays Jang Jongho’s location via GPS. Hina tracked his car all the way to a house near Seo Lake, where he used to live. I stop the motorcycle a few blocks away and go on foot the rest of the way. 

 

The house I come to is quaint but has vines growing all over it. It was obvious that no one had been living here for a long time. Hina managed to dig up some files on Jang Jongho and found that his wife was killed by terrorists and he sold the house after that. Shortly after, he rose in the ranks to become the director of the Intelligence Agency at the Blue House. 

 

The mask scans the property and finds a heat signature out back. Damn, these upgrades that Hina added to the suit were really cool. Why didn't she put them in sooner? Well, I can dwell on that later. 

 

I make my way through to the back of the house, which faces the far side of Seo Lake. It was a really nice view to have from your home. Minjoo would love to have a house with a view like this. I shake my head at the thought. I need to focus on this now. 

 

Jang Jongho is standing by a gravestone covered in wildflowers. I see another set of flowers that look fresh, probably just placed there by him. 

 

“So you finally decided to show up.” The tall man says without turning to look at me. I say nothing and step towards him. 

 

“Give me the launch key.” There was no point in beating around the bush. I’m already short on time as it is. There’s only 1 hour left until 12 AM but I couldn't risk Wonyoung’s safety by tailing him. She had to get to the airport and get out of here. Thankfully, my friends got onto the plane safely. 

 

Jongho turns around with his hands in his coat pockets. His stoic face gave nothing away. “I see you managed to divert the media’s attention from this place. I’m impressed. But not going to ask why I did all of this?”

 

“I don’t have time. Whatever your reasons were, it isn’t enough to justify all the lives it took away.”

 

“Not even killing off Ahn Hyoseob?” he says, as if it were just any other random man we were talking about. Though he did confirm that Ahn Hyoseob indeed died in that explosion.

 

“The launch key. It can still be stopped. Don’t do this.” I say, instead of responding to his taunt. He chuckles lowly, the timbre of his voice sending chills down my spine. 

 

“It seems we won't be able to see eye-to-eye, Spiderwoman. Then, how about this? Beat me in a fight and I will hand you the key and reveal to the public everything. Lose, and you get no key from me.” Jang Jongho was a tall, sturdy man, like Ahn Hyoseob. I couldn’t find an opening in his stance but I had to take my chances. 

 

I take the initiative and throw a kick at his head. As I had expected, he dodged out of the way with incredible speed, just like Ahn Hyoseob. Not surprising, since they worked together and probably trained together. However, unlike Ahn Hyoseob, Jang Jongho was even more unpredictable in his movements. 

 

When I think he would come in from the left, he hits from below. Seeing his leg from the corner of my eye, I brace my hands to grab onto it, only get the wind knocked out of me from the other side. Even with my enhanced strength and computer mask on my side, it has hard to keep up. But I have an advantage he doesn’t. I shoot out a web to stop him mid-step and cause him to stumble for a bit. Taking the opportunity, I knee him as hard as I could in the solar plexus. He staggers and bends over, holding onto the injured part. I quickly stick my hands into his coat pockets to find the launch key. 

 

I manage to get my hands on it but before I could pull it out, hands come around my neck and lift me off the ground. But  _ how _ ? He should have been staggered for longer, unless he was just faking it to get me in close combat. 

 

I struggle in his grip, feeling my airway close up the longer I’m in the air. I swing my legs to tie around the arms holding me but he is quicker. He slams me down on the ground, still choking me with his hands. 

 

“You’re fighting on the wrong side, kid. The current system won't and can’t save anyone. Not even from me. My sister is a prime example of that.” He sneers. My brain was working a mile a minute to decipher his words. I think back to everything that’s happened so far. When did it start? When did it  _ start?! _ And then it hits me like a trainwreck.

 

_ The school shooting...He fucking  _ **_killed_ ** _ Teacher Jang to set these events in motion. _

 

I could throw up at this point from how twisted he was. What if it had been Wonyoung? Why did he even have to kill Teacher Jang in the first place? Was she worth the fucking sacrifice?! Oh god, I don’t even want to think about it. I could feel the rage building up in me. Brimming with newfound energy, I claw at the hands holding me down. Unable to get free, I resort to shooting a web on his face and tugging away as hard as I could. He stumbles and releases his grip on my neck. I swing up and around to deliver a kick to his vulnerable side. 

 

Falling heavily on the ground, Jang Jongho grunts, bleeding slightly on the head. I don't give him an opportunity to recover as I shoot another web to stick to the side of his body and throw him into the abandoned house. The old door opens easily with his body weight. I run inside the house, activating my camouflage to blend in with the dark house. 

 

The tall man gets up and glances around. My mask pinpoints the pocket holding the launch key and unfortunately, it’s located inside his inner coat pocket. Just great. Well, here goes nothing. I steady my breathing and prepare to jump.

 

\--

 

“You lose, hero.” Jang Jongho sneers as Chaewon writhes on the ground in front of the grave marker. Her mask indicates that it is 11:57 PM. She was clearly outmatched despite having the superpower advantage. Jang Jongho was truly a fearsome man. Chaewon could see how he became the leader of Carnage. 

 

As if reading her thoughts, Jang Jongho chuckles lowly, “We’re always too late, hero. This goddamn system is always too late. I’ve waited for nearly 2 decades to find justice for my late wife and still, the system has failed me. Carnage and Ahn Hyoseob were just what I needed to stir the rage in me.” He walks over to the vulnerable Chaewon on the ground and slams his foot onto her stomach. Chaewon coughs roughly, feeling bile going up her throat.

 

“You think so too, no? Isn’t that the reason why you decided to become a hero? To get things done outside the law because the law is far too flawed. Even that fool, Moon, was starting to hesitate.” He applies more pressure on his foot and Chaewon struggles to get him off. She could taste blood on the back of her tongue and her mask indicated that she has several broken ribs. Jang Jongho was truly one monster of a man.

 

“I’m...not...a...hero.” she responded. She could see Jang Jongho frown, not liking her response. 

 

“Then why do you fight?” He asks condescendingly, lifting his foot slightly to give her room to talk.

 

“To protect the people I care about. I’m not a hero and I’m not a saint. I only do what I do for the person I love. That’s all there is to it. If anyone is hurting them, I will fight. Otherwise, I could fucking care less.” Just as Chaewon finishes talking, a beep goes off and a loud rumbling takes over the environment. The ground shakes violently, the water in the lake rippling at a fast pace. The center of the lake splits open, with two waterfalls on both sides. The towering rocks on all sides of the lake rumble along with it, some of the rocks breaking off and falling into the water. The satellite begins to launch out of the opening in the lake.

 

Chaewon knocks Jang Jongho’s foot off completely and he allows it. Addressing him once more before stopping the satellite, Chaewon is resolute, “That satellite is nothing but destruction. It wouldn’t have saved your wife.” She turns away, not wanting to see what sort of expression Jang Jongho was making and makes a mad dash towards the launching satellite. He just stands there, watching Spiderwoman make a futile attempt, in his opinion. 

 

\--

 

Just like what Hina said, the moment she swung onto the satellite body, the hatch to the lasers opened in response to a foreign object. Chaewon positioned herself to be directly behind the blind spot of one. Suddenly, the satellite jerks from its upright position, being held at an angle due to anchors that shot out of the water and into the blind spots of the lasers. She could see a submarine underwater, pulling in the opposite direction.

 

However, the satellite thrusters are powerful and Chaewon could feel it rumbling from side to side, trying to fly upright. It’s getting hotter as the engine applies more power. Even with her suit and gloves on, the heat is seeping through. If she didn't act fast, it would eventually burn her body. Chaewon activates the EMP function on her gloves and places her hands on the neck of the first laser, carefully keeping her hands away from the hot portions. 

 

“ _ I’ve confirmed the deactivation of the first one. Be quicker, the submarine is not pulling the satellite as hard as I thought it would! _ ” Chaewon hears through her mask. Hina was operating from directly inside the submarine, much to Chaewon’s surprise. But she had no time to dwell on it, for there were still three more lasers on the body. She sees several more anchors come out of the sides of the submarine like a spider-web, tethering the submarine and satellite to the rock formations on the sides. 

 

Chaewon swings over to the other side to get to the upper right laser, opting to leave the bottom two for last since they were closer to the thruster. The second one deactivated easily upon contact with her glove but in that moment, the satellite begins to sway more violently, prompting the remaining lasers to have a view of the anchors holding it back. It begins to fire away at the anchors, slowly burning through the steel threads. At the same time, pieces of rock begin to tear off from the forces pulling at it and falling into the lake below. 

 

Chaewon curses under her breath and lowers her arm to reach for the one burning through the anchor. Touching the metal nearly sends her recoiling off the satellite due to the immense heat radiating off of it but she manages to recover and maintain her grip. Chaewon glances down at her hand and sees her skin burnt off and she’s starting to lose feeling in that hand. That glove was useless now but luckily she still has the other one to get rid of the last laser.

 

“ _ Any day now! The submarine is running out of steam and anchors are being dislodged! _ ” Hina yells into Chaewon’s ear. 

 

“I know! It’s moving around too harshly and the heat burned through a glove!” Chaewon yells back, panicked. She swings over to the other side again and deactivated the last laser, pulling away as quickly as possible to minimize the burn damage to her other hand.

 

“ _ Shit! Chaewon! The satellite is separating at the top! It has its own thruster and- _ ” Chaewon tunes out the rest of it, moving on instinct. Chaewon bundles her waist in her high-strength webs  and attaches the other end on an anchor. She shoots out another bundle of webs at the very tip of the satellite and held them together with her arms. The only thing keeping the tip from moving forward was Chaewon holding it back in between the two parts of the satellite. Water was whipping up all around her and she was completely vulnerable mid-air.

 

Her body was on fire. She was being torn apart from both sides. The pain was so great that she nearly blacked out but didn’t, knowing that if she did, there would be consequences. 

 

“Hina, please tell me that the satellite is running out of fuel!” The redhead grunts out, gritting her teeth and exerting every muscle in her body. The heat from the thruster right in front of her was burning through her suit and it was getting harder to breathe.

 

“ _ Satellites are designed to be fueled for 15 years! The thrusters are too strong for you and the submarine to pull back! _ ”

 

“Then our only choice will be to shoot something into the thrusters to cause an explosion! Release the anchors and separate yourself from the satellite!”

 

“ _ Fuck no! You’ll get caught in the blast! Just let it go! We’ll figure something else out! The lasers are already deactivated anyways! _ ”

 

“I can’t! There’s no choice! Hina, now!” The heat from the thrusters already burned through the first layer of her sleeves but the webs were holding up surprisingly well.

 

“ _...You better survive this or your friends will come hunt me down! On the count of three! _ ”

 

Chaewon takes a deep breath, preparing for the worst. She readies specialized web “bullets” designed to stun targets by shooting at high speeds due to its condensed shape. It was like being hit by a real bullet but without the piercing effect. The redhead was hoping to never have to use these but it was her only chance of shooting into the satellite. The turbulence she was experiencing midair would make it too difficult for her to aim her slower webs. The webbing chemical properties will disrupt the balance between the highly volatile gases inside the fuel tank (those chemistry classes really paid off). 

 

The only downside: Chaewon would not have time to escape the blast.

 

Hina counts in her ear and right on three, Chaewon takes her shot.

 

\--

 

The explosion rang wide, a wave leveling several layers of greenery and rocking the lake below it. A submarine could be seen moving away from it underwater, but not by choice.

 

Pieces of the satellite fall back into the lake, a girl dressed in mint and white falling with them. A tall man in a black coat watches as his wife’s grave stone marker is uprooted and flown away by the wind.

 

“...Looks like you win after all, hero.”

 

\--

 

“ _ Breaking news! The satellite, God’s Eye was found sunken over the Seo Lake. Reporters were lined up at the Seoul Bay to record the launch but it appears that the actual location was at Seo Lake. An explosion broke out around midnight, authorities believe that it was from the satellite malfunctioning during the launch. However, photos taken from the site indicates that there were weapons attached to the satellite. We are currently requesting for the Blue House to explain what this means. Stay tuned for more reports on the satellite. _ ”

 

...

 

“ _ The current government is rotten to the core. People like me control people like Ahn Hyoseob and President Moon to commit acts of terror in our nation. Several other officials have colluded with me, the true leader of Carnage, to finance and enable Carnage’s activities. This system is broken and I, Jang Jongho, have failed to cleanse it. _ ”

 

…

 

“ _ Public confidence in the government has hit an all time low, cultivating from the confession of former head of intelligence, Jang Jongho. His reveal about the true nature of the assasination of President Moon, as well as his ties to terrorist organization, Carnage, has caused chaos to erupt in the Blue House. Many citizens are calling for a complete sweep of the current government representatives... _ ”

 

…

 

“ _ As you all have heard from the confession of Jang Jongho, this satellite was orchestrated by corrupt officials and former President Moon. As such, these officials will be tried and punished in court, including the late Moon...The Blue House sincerely apologizes for the security breach and the danger it has exposed to the people of the Republic...We will screen each and every person in office and restructure our due process…  _ ”

 

…

 

“ _ Breaking news! Jang Jongho, the man responsible for the failed satellite and the leader of terrorist organization, Carnage, has commited suicide while resisting arrest...” _

 

\---

 

Everything is so dark and cold in here…

 

Where am I?

 

Who...am I?

 

Why am I floating in this dark place? 

 

…

 

…

 

I hear voices. Where are they coming from? Are they speaking to me?

 

Ah...who cares...I'm...so...tired right now…

 

But...what was I doing...again?

 

...someone was waiting for me...right? 

 

I was supposed to tell them that I…

 

\---

 


	10. And After

Minjoo was washing the dishes while she waited for her friends to come back with dinner. The house was completely silent since the two loudspeakers of the house were out right now. It was peaceful, or at least it would have been, had Minjoo’s thoughts kept themselves quiet. But alas, whenever Minjoo is alone, she tends to overthink. A lot has happened in the past few months. School started again for everyone, summer came by and was coming to an end soon. Things concerning the failed satellite was dying down. 

 

It was...underwhelming to say the least. Going back to school proved to be a sanctuary of sorts for the students because the faculty prevented news about the satellite from being talked about in school. Under normal circumstances, people would be protesting for their freedom of speech but the crash and the weapons found on the satellite, as well as the ties Carnage has to it, has muted the public. Those who worked on it are scrutinized under the reformed government and those that had advocated so hard for it were humiliated. 

 

So yes, studying was boring but it took everyone’s minds off the mess that was happening to their governing body. And for Minjoo, it temporarily took her mind off a certain redhead. She knew the moment she saw the news that it was Chaewon’s doing. What she didn't expect was for Wonyoung’s uncle to be the one behind it. To say Wonyoung was shocked would be an understatement. Wonyoung was inconsolable for days. Her tears had stopped when her mother had her funeral but her uncle caused her grief that she shouldn’t have had to feel at her age. Even Yujin could do nothing but be by her side through it all.

 

It was hard on everyone. Minjoo’s world was thrown off kilter, her axis out of balance. And she couldn’t help but ask why, why did the one person she wished to be happy was nowhere to be seen? It made her bitter...

 

The door opened, snapping Minjoo out of her thoughts. Wonyoung and Yujin skipped inside the house, oddly giddy. 

 

Minjoo put the last plate on the drying rack and wiped her hands clean. “What’s gotten you kids so happy?” she asks, slightly suspicious of their behavior. Yujin placed the bags of takeout on the dining table while Wonyoung stood by the door, not fully coming inside. 

 

“We have a surprise for you, Minjoo unnie~” Wonyoung said with a sing-song tone. Wonyoung moves out of the way and in that moment, Minjoo’s heart nearly stops in place. 

 

Chaewon comes through the threshold with a crooked smile on her face. “Hey, Minjoo.” she says softly. Minjoo’s eyes widen, her throat working to say something but her brain tumbling in jumbles of words. 

 

Chaewon opens her arms in an inviting manner, waiting for a hug from the person she misses the most. Minjoo snaps out of her stupor and embraces Chaewon like her life depended on it. (It did, and no one can tell Minjoo otherwise.)

 

“You’re here. You’re really here...” Minjoo chokes out, taking in the familiar scent that is unique to Chaewon. To be able to feel the older girl’s skin under her fingertips is a feeling unlike any other. Minjoo can’t recall how many sleepless nights she went through, dreaming about this very moment. Relief and happiness floods into Minjoo like warm rays on a sunny day. 

 

_ Chaewon is here. _

 

As if reading her thoughts, Chaewon chuckles, “I’m home, Minjoo.” Minjoo laughs with happy tears streaming down her face. Yujin and Wonyoung also start laughing and crying, running over to smush the two girls in a group hug. Even the ever so cool Chaewon has tears streaming down her face. Chaewon was back. Chaewon was finally home. Everything was going to be okay. Minjoo’s world was going to balance itself again.

 

\--

 

The group of friends sat down to enjoy dinner together for the first time in 8 months. Chaewon was sitting across from Minjoo, scowling slightly. She had wanted to sit next to the younger girl but Yujin refused to let go, citing her reason as missing “her spidy”. That big dog was going to be the death of Chaewon someday, she just knew it. Nonetheless, the redhead was happy to see everyone again.

 

“So, unnie, how have you been?” Yujin starts off. Chaewon contemplates for a while as a lot has happened since they last saw each other. 

 

“Well, why don’t you guys tell me what has happened since New Years and I will fill in the blanks. I’m sure our other friends were probably concerned that I never showed up to Japan.” Chaewon suggests instead. 

 

“Actually, you did show up to Japan.” Chaewon looks surprised at the information coming from Wonyoung. “We got a call from your friends who were helping you with your Spiderwoman activities. Hitomi and Nako? We were scared when they told us that you got into an accident. We went to visit you in the hospital.”

 

Hitomi and Nako. Hina, the IT expert and also a secret service Japanese government duo. Apparently, Chaewon’s parents made a deal with the Japanese government on the technology being used as Spiderwoman and that’s how Hitomi and Nako became contracted as Spiderwoman’s helpers. The Japanese government was definitely benefitting from this, as HiNa were able to recover the tip of the satellite before the Korean government could get their hands on it. 

 

But based on the information Wonyoung just told her, Chaewon was actually taken to Japan to recover. However, she recalls waking up already back in Korea. In fact, her physical therapy had been overseen by Hitomi and Nako in Korea. The duo’s personalities were very interesting, to say the least. When Chaewon had wanted to give up at physical therapy, surprisingly, the girl with bread like cheeks was the one to snap her out of it. 

 

(“Your family is waiting for you back at home! You better recover and go back to them before I decide to just finish you off myself!” Hitomi huffed out, feeling frustrated for her friend. She had proceeded to remind Chaewon of her reason for living in a very militaristic way, pushing her to complete her therapy to go back home. Her numerous techniques included dangling the keys to the private facility Chaewon was in. It was grueling but Chaewon didn’t hold it against Hitomi and in fact, she is thankful for the younger girl’s actions. Combined with her superhuman abilities, she managed to recover to an acceptable level within 3 months. )

 

Of course, the damage done by the explosion at point blank range will probably never recover completely, as there were still burns on her body and she walks with a limp. But Chaewon was okay with that. At any rate, it seemed that Hitomi and Nako kept information about her location a secret from her.

 

“They told you guys and our friends that I got into a car accident right?” Chaewon asks. The other three nod.

 

“Yeah and when we went to see you at the hospital, Hyewon unnie’s family wanted to take you under their custody.”

 

“But they couldn’t, because I’m already 18 and that my parents temporarily shifted my guardianship to someone else. I guess Hitomi and Nako really accounted for everything after all.” Chaewon finishes, amazed at how everything worked out for her. Not only did she escape certain death with a satellite exploding in her face, but she managed to keep her alter ego a secret from her other friends. 

 

“But enough of that, let’s eat and make plans to see everyone. I miss them.”

 

\--

 

It was a crying festival at Hyewon’s house. Everyone embraced Chaewon like their lives depended on it. Of course, they were careful not to hurt her as she was still recovering but they were too happy to see her again. 

 

“Yena unnie, Eunbi unnie, you guys look so ugly when crying.” Chaewon teases. It gets them to snort through their tears and they both lightly slap the younger on her arm. 

 

“You come back from the dead and that’s the first thing you say, Kim Chaewon?!” Eunbi scolds jokingly. Chaewon apologizes but can hardly be considered sincere since she has that crooked smile on her face. 

 

Hyewon’s parents come over to tell the girls to let Chaewon rest and sit down. They do so but Yuri refuses to let go of Chaewon and clings to her as they sit. Minjoo scowls a bit but she knows that they all just missed Chaewon and were glad that she’s okay. 

 

“Let’s go do something together. It’s still summer break right? I want to enjoy the day with you guys.”

 

“What about your injuries?”

 

“It’s alright. It’s better if I keep active anyways.”

 

“Beach?” Yuri asks cutely from under Chaewon’s arm. She’s still sniffling but at least she stopped crying.

 

“Sure.” Chaewon smiles, happy to finally be back home. 

 

\--

 

The day was warm with a light breeze, perfect for playing in the water. The girls went swimming but Chaewon stayed under the umbrella, reading a book. Minjoo also stayed behind, not wanting to have Chaewon out of her sight. Both were wearing shorts, shirts and a light sleeved button up to cover up. Minjoo could easily see some bandages peeking out from the collar of Chaewon’s shirt. 

 

“Chae.” She calls out to get the older girl’s attention. Chaewon hums to let her know that she heard but not taking her eyes off her book. Instead of saying anything, Minjoo reaches over to place her hand lightly on Chaewon’s arm. The action takes Chaewon’s attention away from her book.

 

“Does it still hurt?” Minjoo asks, not taking her eyes off Chaewon’s arm. Instead of verbally responding, Chaewon pulls back her sleeve to reveal the bandages. 

 

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, Minjoo. Honest.” Minjoo looks into the older girl’s eyes and sees that she really is telling the truth. In fact, Chaewon looks lighter than Minjoo has ever seen her before. More relaxed and carefree too. The two smile softly at each other. 

 

This time, Chaewon is the one to take the initiative and slide their hands together, interlocking their fingers. Minjoo’s smile takes a bashful turn and that prompts her to lay her head on Chaewon’s shoulder. They could vaguely hear their friends teasing them in the background but could care less from how content they are. In fact, Chaewon abruptly stands up, bringing their joined hands into full view. 

 

“Come on, the day is too nice to be sitting around! Let’s go for a walk along the beach, Minjoo!” They do so, never letting each other’s hand go.

 

\--

 

“Chae, where are we going?” Minjoo asks as Chaewon leads her somewhere by the hand. It’s nighttime and Chaewon placed a blindfold over Minjoo’s eyes, telling her that she has a surprise for her. The older girl has been acting suspiciously the entire day so when Minjoo came back to Wonyoung’s house, she was relieved to know that Chaewon was just preparing something for her. The older girl drove her somewhere with a blindfold over her eyes but Minjoo could tell they were somewhere remote, as the sounds from the city were getting farther and farther as they drove.

 

Chaewon leads her carefully out of the car and onto a grassy patch from what Minjoo can tell. Normally, she would be afraid of not being able to see what’s in front of her, but it’s Chaewon leading her. She trusts Chaewon. So instead, the younger focuses on the sounds and smells surrounding her. 

 

All she can smell is grass and trees filling the night air. Insects chirp all around her. The soles of their shoes hitting soft grass and dirt. Not a single artificial sound can be heard in this natural paradise. Among all these things filling her senses, Minjoo hones in on the feeling of having Chaewon’s smaller hand in hers. It’s warm and soft and so familiar to her. These past few days have been blissful for Minjoo as Chaewon was no longer shy about showing her affection for her. They held hands when they could, even withstanding the teasing from their friends. Chaewon even kissed her on the cheek one morning when she was making them breakfast. Minjoo would be lying if she said she didn't like this new development. 

 

Eventually, the older girl brings them both to a stop. Oddly, Minjoo smells something other than grass this time. But before she could dwell on it, Minjoo hears Chaewon turning on her heels and feels a hand coming up to untie the blind fold. When Minjoo’s world brightens up again, she is met with one of the most incredible sights she has ever seen.

 

Fireflies light up the vast field of purple lily bells, swaying in the wind in unison. The moonlight shines down, hitting every flower petal perfectly to illuminate the magical space that they are in. Chaewon tugs on their joined hands and smiles, “Remember when we were kids? We loved to come out on summer nights to see the fireflies.”

 

Minjoo grins in response. How could she forget, for that was one of her most favorite memories of their childhood. Tilting her head back, she could even see the stars out here in the wilderness. They are twinkling down on her, as if to remind her that she is happy now. And it’s all thanks to the older girl next to her.

 

Minjoo opens her mouth to express her gratitude but Chaewon beats her to it, “Wait. I have one more surprise for you.” Once again, Chaewon leads her by the hand to the edge of the grassway. Minjoo admires the lily bells as they pass through the field.  

 

“Look.” 

 

Just when Minjoo thought she could not be more touched by Chaewon, she is proven wrong. The field below them is swath with colors of all kinds. Each glowing in the dark and complementing each other in a beautiful blend. Upon closer inspection, Minjoo could see that it is in fact webbing interwoven with each other and angled in certain ways to give off different colors as the moonlight hits them. Chaewon had made sure of it so that Minjoo would be able to see all sorts of colors from where she was standing. Honestly, Chaewon could be such a nerd at times but it was cute. 

 

It was as if Chaewon had taken the universe down to the field below them so that Minjoo could see it up close. It was incredibly beautiful and something that only Chaewon could have pulled off.

 

“You said that you wanted to see a light show together during our summer vacation. But, for obvious reasons, I was unable to fulfill that wish. Although I can’t give you a real light show, I can at least give you this. Maybe one day, I can even take you to see the aurora borealis lights. But for now, you’ll have to settle for this.” Chaewon explains, with a softness to her voice. It makes Minjoo’s heart swell with love for the older girl.

 

“Do you like it?” Minjoo pulls Chaewon into a tight hug to express her gratitude, the older laughing all the while. It was wonderful to hear Chaewon laughing to freely as she deserved to after all that she has been through. 

 

When they pull apart to admire the colorful fields, Chaewon turns to Minjoo with the happiest smile on her face. It was almost a child-like grin, so full of life and joy that it makes Minjoo break out into a silly smile, too. 

 

“I love you, Minjoo.” And the way that Chaewon says it with the universe in her eyes, like it was an integral part of her happiness, made Minjoo want to give her all of her affection. So she did. 

 

Their first kiss was warm, shared under the night sky and in between the swaying flowers. It was perfect. It was so right. It was so them. When they separated for air, both giggle like a pair of lovesick idiots. 

 

(They really were a pair of lovesick idiots.) 

 

Neither of them would have it any other way.

 

\--

 

“Happy birthday Chaewon!” 

 

Everyone was gathered at the Celeb Cafe to celebrate Chaewon’s birthday. Chaewon clasped her hands together to make a wish and then blew out the candles. They all cheered and proceeded to smear her face in cake. 

 

Chaewon was laughing joyfully all the while. After all, she was surrounded by the people she loved and fought so hard to protect. As per tradition (that she missed out on for Minjoo), they all said something to the birthday girl. This time around, it is more special since Chaewon has finally returned to them and is looking healthier as the days pass. 

 

Minjoo and Chaewon hadn’t said anything about their new relationship, wanting to keep it to themselves for a few days. Plus, Chaewon has been coming over to the younger’s house for sleepovers. It was truly blissful for the budding couple, waking up next to each other and enjoying the warmth the other brought. 

 

But in this jubilant occasion, Minjoo really can’t help but lean over to give Chaewon a kiss on the lips when it’s her turn to say something. She’s sitting on her lap as she says her piece but with Chaewon looking at her in that way, Minjoo really could not hold back. 

 

“Happy birthday, love.” She should have thought things through more thoroughly before doing it but well, too late for that. Both of them turn bright red at the chaos their friends were making.

 

“Are you guys finally together?!”

 

“When did this happen?! Why did we not know?”

 

“Chaewon unnie, Minjoo unnie, aren’t Yujinnie and I your favorite kids? Why did we not know that our parents got together?”

 

A dramatic gasp.“Was it from when you were preparing that surprise for Minjoo, Chaewon unnie?!”

 

“What surprise? Tell us!”

 

“You should have seen it, Eunbi unnie. Chaewon unnie prepared a flower field and everything-”

 

“Wah, so romantic, Chaewonnie~”

 

“Guys! Please stop embarrassing us! And Yujin, I’m your unnie too, not just Chae.” Minjoo whines and buries her head in the junction between Chaewon’s shoulder and neck. Chaewon simply laughs at their predicament. When prompted for more information on how they got together, she just winks, leaving their friends to whine even more at the secrecy. 

 

“That’s a story for another time. Let’s enjoy the cake.” the kids quickly get distracted by the sweet confection while the older ones narrow their eyes but let it go for now. Just for now.

 

\--

 

“I’m going to quit being Spiderwoman.” she says randomly. Minjoo is caught off guard but sees that Chaewon hasn’t lost her smile. Minjoo knew that it was her parents who granted her the Spiderwoman abilities and she knew that Chaewon was always conflicted on continuing crime fighting. But seeing the light in the redhead’s eyes now, Minjoo knows that Chaewon has finally come to peace with her decision. It was the first time that Minjoo has ever seen an unburdened Chaewon. It looked good on her, as she finally seemed her age for once.

 

“Yeah?” Minjoo asks as she caresses the side of Chaewon’s face. They are both cuddling each other as they prepare for their afternoon nap time on the couch at Wonyoung’s house. Both Wonyoung and Yujin are out right now so it’s the perfect time to get some shut eye. 

 

“Yeah. Not just because of my injuries, but because I want to live a normal life now. I’m not sure what my parents would have wanted but I know that they would have wanted me to be happy.”

 

“And are you? Happy, I mean.” Chaewon smiles, impossibly soft, and leans over Minjoo to give her a soft, slow kiss. 

 

“How could I not be?  _ You’re here _ .” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s remarks: I made it to the end! It was the first time I have ever finished a long piece and I am quite happy with the way it turned out.  
> The story already had too much angst in it for me to include in the ending lol. Plus, I think that Chaewon definitely deserves this happy ending, and on her birthday too!  
> It was really fun writing this story and seeing how all of my thoughts came together to form this cohesive piece. I’m already working on another 2kim story, this time in episodic format and in a lighter tone.
> 
>  
> 
> Here’s a preview: Minjoo’s friends wonder why her roommate never talks and why she only hangs out with a girl that looks similar to her. But Minjoo knows better.
> 
> Or, in which Chaewon is the older, cooler, and artistic twin. Yuri is the younger, dorky, and musically talented twin. Both just want to get through college without being judged. 
> 
> Or or, in which tired business major Minjoo experiences many new things with the twins.


	11. EP: To Be Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snippets of 2kim's lives after the events of the main story. Event 4 happens before the first three events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo I may have forgotten my AFF account so this bonus chapter may be exclusive to AO3 xD
> 
> Happy reading!

-1-

 

“Juwonnie~ C’mon, wake up. Minjoo is making pancakes for breakfast so if you don't want to miss out, you have to wake up now.” A little girl stirs on the bed at the smell of delicious pancakes cooking. Opening her eyes, she is met with kind, brown eyes looking back at her with affection. She raises her tiny arms and makes a motion of wanting to be carried. Chaewon complies and reaches down to lift the little girl in her arms. 

 

The brown-haired girl carries Juwon into the restroom to brush her teeth and freshen up before going down to eat. Chaewon sets the little girl down on the stool to reach the sink. Juwon was still sleepy so Chaewon had to nudge her awake a few times to brush her teeth in the right places while she brushes her hair down to an acceptable visual. 

 

“Finish! Pancakes now!” Juwon excitedly says as she holds her arms out again to be carried. Chaewon laughs at the cute display and carries her in her arms.

 

Coming downstairs to the sight of Minjoo cooking by the stove never fails to make Chaewon’s heart beat faster. It was a lovely sight to see the younger girl cooking and Chaewon imagines if this is what it would be like if they were to get married. But that was a thought for another time. For now, the child in her arms was struggling to get out of her grip for some pancakes. 

 

“Now, now, Juwon. Let Minjoo finish making all of the pancakes and we can enjoy breakfast together.” Minjoo turns around to see her two favorite people in the whole world. She turns off the stove and walks over to them. 

 

“Morning Juwonnie.” Minjoo greets and gives her a kiss on her chubby cheek. Juwon squeals and returns the kiss. Next to her, Chaewon pouts.

 

“Where’s my morning kiss?” Minjoo laughs at Chaewon’s playful sulking. She leans over to give her a brief kiss, giggling at the happy beaming of Chaewon’s face when she pulls away. 

 

“Won unnie, Joo unnie, no more kissy. Juwonnie is hungry~” Minjoo finishes the pancake towers for the three of them and brings it to the table. Meanwhile, Chaewon is settling the little girl in the child seat and then taking a seat herself. 

 

They dig into their breakfast, enjoying small talk and each other’s presence. Chaewon had just finished her plate when Minjoo asks, “Chae, are you going to work today?”

 

“Nah, Nako’s got me covered for today. But I will be going in for Juwon’s checkup. Why?”

 

“Want to go see a movie today, the three of us?” At the sound of going out to do something fun, Juwon raises her arm excitedly.  Chaewon chuckles and nods her head.

 

“Alright but after the movies, you have to go back to your parents, okay?”

 

The little girl pouts at not being able to spend more time with her favorite unnies. “But why? Mommy and Daddy hardly spend any time with Juwon. They’re too busy…” At the crestfallen look on her face, Minjoo kneels down on the ground next to Juwon’s chair. Chaewon reaches over to pat her cheek softly. 

 

“Juwonnie, your parents love you, you know that.” Juwon continues to pout.

 

“But if they did, then why are they always leaving Juwonnie alone? Why are they fighting all the time?” Both girls did not know how to answer that. Luckily, the doorbell saved them from having to respond to such a sensitive topic. 

 

Chaewon pulls the door open to see Wonyoung and Yujin. “Who invited you giants over?” Chaewon says as she leans against the door frame.

 

“No one! We wanted to see Juwon! Out of the way unnie!” Yujin shoves past Chaewon to greet Juwon and Minjoo. Wonyoung just shakes her head and gives Chaewon an exasperated smile. 

 

“Yes, Yujin, you may come in.” Chaewon rants sarcastically to no one in particular. Wonyoung catches her facial expression and laughs at her. “Unnie, you’ll have to forgive Yujin. It’s been a few months since we last saw Juwon. I like your brown hair by the way, the red makes your glare seem 10 times scarier.”

 

Across the hall into the dining room, they could hear Yujin squealing and coddling Juwon. Chaewon and Wonyoung walk over to see Minjoo sporting the same exasperated look that Chaewon had minutes ago. 

 

“Alright kid, let go of Juwon. We have to leave for a check-up.” Yujin whines at that and proceeds to use her puppy eyes on Minjoo (Not Chaewon. It doesn’t work on her.)

 

Minjoo tried hard not to give in. Really, she did. But when you have a giant human golden retriever giving you puppy eyes AND a four-year old attempting the same, how was she supposed to say no?

 

Chaewon shakes her head and resigns herself to what is coming next.

 

“...you can come with us to the movies later...” Minjoo sighs. Yujin and Juwon cheer like the little monsters that they are.

 

-2-

 

“...Are you sure about this?”

 

“Yeah...I want what’s best for Juwon and I think that this is it. Please.”

 

Minjoo gazes at her cousin for a long time, gaging his thoughts. He honestly looked so tired of everything. 

 

“You know it doesn’t have to be this way. Juwon needs her family.”

 

“Am I even qualified to be her family? I’m hardly around to take care of her because of work and because of this horrible divorce. And you saw how much she loved your girlfriend. Chaewon, of all people! Chaewon isn’t even good with kids but Juwon loves her all the same. Please, Juwon needs a family and I can’t think of anyone better suited than you two.” Minjoo’s cousin pleaded with tears in his eyes. “Money will not be an issue.”

 

“....Alright. BUT!” Minjoo holds up her pointer finger for emphasis, “Chaewon and I are not replacements for you and your ex-wife. Juwon will know who her parents are so that when she grows older, she can decide for herself what she wants. And I hope you will find the time to come visit her from time to time.”

 

Minjoo’s cousin nods his head, relief and sadness in his expression. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

 

-3-

 

Chaewon enters through the threshold, exhausted from a 10 hour work day. Things at the lab were running smoothly until an intern screwed up and nearly caused a chemical explosion. Luckily, Chaewon was fast enough to use her webs to contain the flask’s contents. Crisis averted. Hitomi and Nako owe her a lunch or two for that save. 

 

But for now, she was finally home, free of long experiment hours. She missed Minjoo and her adopted daughter. Speaking of which, they usually greet her at the door but today, they were both in the kitchen baking cookies.

 

Minjoo was holding up Juwon and assisting her with pouring chocolate chips into the mixing bowl. The little girl looked excited at the prospect of having chocolate for dinner but Minjoo held the package firmly to prevent an overload of chocolate chips. 

 

“That’s enough Juwonnie. Chae doesn’t like it too sweet.” Minjoo gently scolds. She puts Juwon down and rolls up her sleeves to prepare to mix the ingredients. 

 

“Minjoo, Juwon-ah.”

 

“Won unnie!”

 

Chaewon opens her arms to lift the little girl up. Placing a soft kiss on an even softer cheek, Chaewon hugs her little girl. It was a blessing to be able to come home to her two favorite people.

 

Taking a peek at the mixing bowl and then her daughter’s face, Chaewon questions her on what they will be having for dinner. 

 

“Cookies!” Juwon said excitedly. 

 

“I would hope not. It’s not healthy, Juwonnie.” Chaewon brushes a loose strand of hair out of the little girl’s face. Juwon grabs onto Chaewon’s hand, not letting go.

 

“But unnie, if we have cookies for dinner, that would make you happy. You love chocolate cookies.” Her response stunned Chaewon for a moment. People often say that children are too young to understand things but she would beg to differ. In the short time that Juwon has officially become their daughter, Juwon had shown time and time again how emotionally intelligent she was. Like right now.

 

Chaewon decides to humor her this time. “What do you mean, Juwon? I’m happy now.” Chaewon pokes her daughter’s squishy cheeks with both of her hands. Juwon whines and runs to Minjoo to escape the hands squishing her. 

 

Chaewon hears the four-year old tattle to Minjoo about how Chaewon was a “meanie grumpy tree” and that her cheeks were going to “explode” at the rate Chaewon was going at. Minjoo holds in her giggles and leads Juwon back to where Chaewon was crouching down. 

 

She makes them face each other despite Juwon’s reluctance and holds each by a shoulder. Speaking like a kindergarten teacher scolding two kids, “Now now, Chae, that wasn’t very nice. When people hurt one another, they should apologize, right Chae?” Minjoo squeezes Chaewon’s shoulder extra hard. Chaewon winces but puts on a brave front. 

 

“...R-right. I’m sorry Juwon.” Chaewon looks like a dejected cat that Minjoo almost breaks character. A few years ago, she could never imagine that Chaewon would be interacting with a child like this. It was so precious that she wanted to take a video of this but her phone is far away. Damn it. There goes her blackmail material.

 

“You’re sorry for what, Chae? It helps to let the other person you hurt know that you know what you did wrong.”

 

This time, Chaewon gazes at her child with affection. Juwon looks like she’s hanging on to every word, every action, engraving it into her memory. 

 

“I’m sorry for almost making your cheeks explode.” It took every fiber in Chaewon’s body to keep a straight face while saying that. It felt silly but it was the type of silliness that she would subject herself to every day for her two girls. 

 

Juwon looked entirely too serious (or as serious as a four year old could be) as she nodded. “I’m sorry too, Won unnie, for calling you a meanie grumpy tree. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” Chaewon couldn't help but let out a soft smile.

 

“Well I can admit that I am a grumpy tree so no harm done. It’s okay.”

 

“See Juwonnie? What was the lesson here?” Now Minjoo was also crouching down to meet Juwon’s eye level. 

 

“Um...” Juwon was nervous about answering incorrectly. She always looked up to her to unnies that took care of her and she didn't want to disappoint them. She looked to Chaewon for help.

 

(Not that there was a clear black and white answer to everything. But Juwon was only four.)

 

“Communication, Juwon. It means to give or receive information from person to person. You can communicate simply by talking to someone else. Do you understand?” Juwon seemed a little lost at such a long word but she nodded with determination in her eyes.

 

“Com-communi-kay-chun? To talk...because talking and letting the other person know what you feel is important?” If anyone else were here now, they would see two proud parents puffing out their chest for their baby. And at that moment, the oven beeps to indicate that the cookies are one minute to finish. 

 

It took Juwon’s attention away but Minjoo and Chaewon were already so proud. They hope that Juwon would continue to grow and learn from good experiences like these to combat the bad ones that would come inevitably. 

 

-4-

 

Minjoo’s heart swells a thousand times over when she sees the way that Chaewon tucks Juwon in and kissed her on the forehead, wishing her a good night. Her eyes glaze over when she thinks about how difficult it was to get to this point. 

 

Yes, they did have a happy ending. But only for a short time. 

 

At first, Minjoo ignored the obvious signs. She was too caught up in the fact that Chaewon was  _ alive and here _ with her. Chaewon was good at hiding her emotions but as time went by, the signs were all too clear to ignore. 

Shadows followed Chaewon’s waking moments. The older girl would jump at the slightest indication of danger. One time, Yujin made the mistake of trying to jump on Chaewon’s back (forgetting about her spidy senses) and ended up getting flipped over onto her back. Chaewon had her hand on her neck, nearly crushing her windpipe. 

 

(As soon as Chaewon registered who was under her grip, she immediately jerked back and apologized. “Shit, Yujin I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t mean to...”

 

The older girl backed up against the wall, a hand covering her face. The subtle shaking of her hand went unnoticed as she reigned in her emotions. 

 

_ Pull yourself together. You almost hurt your friend. F-R-I-E-N-D. Not enemy. Not a crazy man. He’s dead. You stopped him.  _ Chaewon repeated to herself. These words were not new to her as she chanted them like a mantra whenever she found herself on the verge of a panic attack. )

 

Events like these were frequent but Chaewon brushed off her friends every time. She explained that she was still on edge from the explosion and that her body was just reacting to phantom pain. She was clearly losing sleep from it and Minjoo often woke up to screaming and thrashing from the older girl. 

 

It all piled up, leading to one big event that tore at everyone involved.

 

They were at the carnival as a group, enjoying their time together. Chaewon’s smaller hand was held by Minjoo. Everything was perfectly normal, perfect even. But then some idiot just had to try to rob a wealthy looking patron. 

 

The crazed man held the woman at gunpoint, enticing her husband to give him 100k in hard cash. It was ridiculous but there was nothing the bystanders could do unless they wanted the hostage to be killed. Chaewon immediately pulled her group of friends to a safer location. 

 

“Stay here or try to leave the carnival. Don't go near there.” Chaewon gave a stern warning to each. The determined look in her eyes told Minjoo exactly what she was intending to do. But she couldn’t let her. Chaewon didn’t suffer a lifetime of pain and sorrow just to be thrown right back into it. 

 

Gripping tightly onto her hand, Minjoo asked Chaewon to go with them. “You can’t Chae. You...you already gave that up, remember?” Minjoo was hopeful that since it was her, Chaewon would reconsider throwing herself into a dangerous situation. Her body didn’t have the same reflexes as before and she was prone to jumping at every little thing. Chaewon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Their friends minus Wonyoung and Yujin were curious as to what was happening. Why did Chaewon want to go back there where a man with a gun was at?

 

The moment Chaewon opened her eyes, Minjoo knew that her plea fell on deaf ears. 

 

“Sorry, love.” Chaewon whispers as she wrenches her arm free and clicks her watch, transforming her into the famous Spiderwoman.

 

She did end up saving the woman’s life. But when she returned to the apartment, a fight broke out between the couple. Chaewon argued that she should still try to save people, as she is capable of it. Minjoo retorted that Chaewon’s safety was at risk and that she was no longer Spiderwoman. That led to Chaewon storming out of the apartment.

 

The days they spent apart were torturous to both sides. Neither wanted to admit that they hurt each other again. Neither wanted to admit that their love alone was not enough to carry through the trauma. 

 

But when Minjoo had enough and decided to seek out Chaewon, she was heartbroken. Chaewon was staying at some dingy hotel to hide away from everyone. Beer bottles and bandages were scattered everywhere. The smell of smoke on Chaewon’s fingers and her overall unkempt appearance unnerved Minjoo. It was all too...sad to see Chaewon spiral downwards. And it was all to obvious as to what Chaewon had been up to in their time apart. News of Spiderwoman appearing sporadically made it clear.

 

Tears were spilled between them, apologies falling from their lips. It isn’t until Minjoo began to babysit Juwon for her cousin does she see a change in Chaewon. Chaewon began to go back into therapy, for her mind and body, with the help of Hitomi and Nako. She even told the truth about her alter ego to their other friends. 

 

And when Juwon held her hand for the first time and called her name, Chaewon burst into tears. 

 

“Won unnie…? Why are you crying?” Juwon placed her tiny hand on the older’s down-trodden head. Minjoo had stepped away to do the laundry but hid behind the wall to observe their interactions. 

 

Sniffing and wiping her tears, Chaewon musters up a genuine smile. “It’s nothing, Juwon. I was just thinking about I was stupid for taking my happiness for granted.” The little girl looks confused and decides to point out that stupid is a bad word. Chaewon laughs and proceeds to tickle the little girl. 

 

Minjoo finds herself smiling too. Chaewon was going to be alright. They were going to be alright. All three of them, together, as a family.


End file.
